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3 Preparation for Life’s Journey My mother sought the best educational advantages for me and sent me away yet again, this time to live with her younger brother Harold Richardson, who lived in Washington, D.C. His wife, norma Richardson , who was then teaching in the D.C. school system and at Howard University, was a tremendous influence in my young life. The transition from york to Selma and then on to Washington was indeed a culture shock. So much to see and do! Aunt norma would take me to all the government buildings and major centers. We often visited the Smithsonian and the Capitol, and even took a tour of the White House. on Sunday afternoons, we would go to the national Gallery of Art for concerts, where i developed my love for classical music. We would alsogotoHowardUniversity’scampusfortheirLincolnprograms,or to new york to see plays on broadway. We would take the early shuttle to the city, see an opera at the Met, and return to D.C. on the evening shuttle. in york or Selma i would never have had these opportunities ; young people in york knew nothing about the Smithsonian and its contents. They might have seen the Capitol in a schoolbook, but only if the white children who had used it first had not torn that page out. As with school furniture, books didn’t reach black schools Preparation for Life’s Journey / 13 until white schools threw them out. nor could they have heard a concert by the national Symphony orchestra. it was a shock to me to know such things even existed. Just as Selma opened my eyes to life beyondyork, so Washington introduced me to the greater things of the world. My school years were spent at banneker Junior High and Cardoza High School in Washington, D.C., wonderful schools with diverse educationalprograms.Theschoolsweresegregatedthenbutfar ahead of black schools in Alabama in terms of supplies, curriculum, and attitude. Students could be trained in business skills to be secretaries , clerks, and salespeople, or they could prepare to go into college after completing high school. i immediately put my feet in both fields, not really knowing if my mother could afford a college education for me on her teacher’s salary, but she always told me all would work out, and as she said it would it did. While at Cardoza, i learned to type, take shorthand, and other skills i continue to utilize to this day. both Uncle Harold and Aunt norma were committed to expanding my horizons, and i will always be grateful for their care. My mother had an incredible extended family. Her first cousin, Mrs. Leola Whitted, was an assistant to both the president and treasurer of Alabama State College in Montgomery. After i graduated from high school, Cousin Leola offered to take me under her wing and help me to attend Alabama State College. i enrolled there in 1950 and received my b.S. degree in secondary eduacation 1954. While attending Alabama State under the watchful eye of Cousin Leola, i found i had to attend church with her as well. That is what all respectable young ladies did while pursuing their education, and Cousin Leola indeed kept me on the straight and narrow. When i first began my studies at Alabama State in September 1950, Rev. vernon JohnswastheministeratDexterAvenuebaptistChurch,whereCousin 14 / Chapter 3 Leola was a faithful member. once again i was in the care of a strong femalewhowasheavilyinvolvedintheworkofthechurch,justasmy grandmother and mother had been during my early years in york. My faith has always been with me from an early age. Reverend Johns had some courageous views for a black man at that time. Some time later he left Dexter for another vineyard, and in my senior year the church called as their new pastor a young minister from Atlanta, the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. Cousin Leola, a motherly woman with no children of her own, soon became close to the King family, especially the new pastor’s wife, Coretta Scott, who was born and raised in Marion, Alabama. Cousin Leola was born in Selma, about thirty miles from Marion, and had lived there until the death of her husband, when she moved to Montgomery. in those days many families in both Selma and Marion knew each other well, given the towns’ proximity. in Marion, the Scott family owned land and ran a general store. As Selma was the larger city, the Scotts went to Selma often to...

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