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15 other voices in the House When Dr. benjamin e. Mays, the longtime distinguished president of Morehouse College in Atlanta, walked into the house i almost felt like standing and placing my hand over my heart just out of great respect for this dynamic man. Dr. Mays came to the house by the side of the road mainly, i felt, to give his moral support to one of his most famous students. Talking in private with him, with no staff present, i am sure Martin Luther King Jr. appreciated his coming and welcomed his wisdom. our daughter,Jawana,blessherheart,nevermetastranger.Meeting Dr. Mays with Uncle Martin, and Martin’s explanation that this man was a teacher, impressed her. Dr. Mays, being the educator that he was at heart, paid attention to the questions she asked. it became clear that both he and Martin were interested in her abilities and possible future. Dr. Mays asked me if she was in a preschool program for gifted children. i explained we didn’t have such programs in Selma. Then i asked him what had he seen in her that made him think she needed a special school. His reply was that she needed to be tested to determine her iQ. He felt those results would help her father and me make decisions about her education. He even set up the appointment other voices in the House / 63 for her to be tested at Atlanta University with an evaluator he knew. Here again, if only the walls could talk! What a joy it was to have this great educator and scholar eating a meal at the house by the side of the road. We made the trip to Atlanta for the test with Jawana, who was now five years old. She enjoyed playing games with the “nice man” in a big room. We were pleased with the results. While in Atlanta, we stayed with Juanita and Ralph Abernathy. Their children were also young. This trip also resulted in Jawana’s first date. Little Ralph, their oldestson,invitedJawanatothemoviestoseeThe Sound of Music. Juanita told him that we all might like to see the movie so off we all went. one staff member you always knew was in the house from the moment his foot hit the first step was Hosea Williams. The minute you heard “My leader!” you knew Hosea was somewhere around Martin. He would give his report of what was going on “in the street” and at the churches. We called him the “Street Lieutenant.” one thing is for certain: Hosea had very strong opinions and those in charge always knew how he felt and what he believed should be done. Hosea would argue a point until the cows came home. voices would get loud, usually those of James bevel, James orange, and Hosea. Dr. King would just listen, and after all views had been expressed the matter would then go to a higher level. There would be more discussion among Martin, Ralph Abernathy, and Andrew young, still in the same room or in another room, and then finally one of the top three would announce the final decision. There were times when Hosea would be given a directive or plan not to his liking and he would abruptly leave. Then he would do exactly what he wanted to do in the first place. Later at another staff 64 / Chapter 15 meeting he would say, “i told you what would work,” and most times it did. Hosea had a true feel for the streets. He knew the attitude of the ordinary person out on the street and had the ability to get people to do what was necessary. To see him work a crowd was fascinating: he looked like everyone else, always wearing overalls. indeed, when he was really dressed up he just added a white shirt and tie with a denim jacket to the overalls. Hosea never, as far as i can remember, really spent the night in the house by the side of the road, but he took many, many naps on the floor when he was worn out from activity or arguing. There was a standing instruction when he dozed off: “Don’t wake Hosea up. Let him sleep!” Sully came home from his office one afternoon to find throngs of people, reporters, and onlookers in front of the house as he was attempting to get up the driveway. He was told by a man watching the back door, “you can...

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