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    Back Road to Progress: Documented Accounts of the Historical Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Its Impact on One FamilyaEUR(tm)s Decision to Engage in the End to Public School Segregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia
    Back Road to Progress: Documented Accounts of the Historical Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Its Impact on One FamilyaEUR(tm)s Decision to Engage in the End to Public School Segregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia
    Back Road to Progress: Documented Accounts of the Historical Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Its Impact on One FamilyaEUR(tm)s Decision to Engage in the End to Public School Segregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia
    Ebook150 pages1 hour

    Back Road to Progress: Documented Accounts of the Historical Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Its Impact on One FamilyaEUR(tm)s Decision to Engage in the End to Public School Segregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia

    By Dr. C. Elaine McCoy Smith

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Through the lens of a child and based on true events, Back Road to Progress is a historical documentation of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States and its impact on one Black family’s decision to engage in the facilitation of the end to public school segregation in a southeastern rural town in Virginia in 1962.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristian Faith Publishing, Inc.
    Release dateJan 10, 2024
    ISBN9798888326725
    Back Road to Progress: Documented Accounts of the Historical Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Its Impact on One FamilyaEUR(tm)s Decision to Engage in the End to Public School Segregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia

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      Book preview

      Back Road to Progress - Dr. C. Elaine McCoy Smith

      cover.jpg

      Back Road to Progress

      Documented Accounts of the Historical Civil Rights Movement in the United States and Its Impact on One FamilyaEUR(tm)s Decision to Engage in the End to Public School Segregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia

      Dr. C. Elaine McCoy Smith

      ISBN 979-8-88832-671-8 (paperback)

      ISBN 979-8-88832-672-5 (digital)

      Copyright © 2024 by Dr. C. Elaine McCoy Smith

      All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher. For permission requests, solicit the publisher via the address below.

      Christian Faith Publishing

      832 Park Avenue

      Meadville, PA 16335

      www.christianfaithpublishing.com

      Printed in the United States of America

      Table of Contents

      In memory of my father, George Ruffin McCoy; my sister Rubye Renà McCoy; Mr. Junius Gills, a community leader; and to all the other Black children who participated in this effort, all of whom made significant contributions toward the desegregation of public schools in Virginia Beach (formally known as Princess Anne County), Virginia. I give you homage for your sacrifices, support, and input in bringing this book to actualization.

      Preface

      Acknowledgments

      Chapter 1

      Embryonic Stage of Change

      History

      Chapter 2

      Agents for Change

      Chapter 3

      The Way We Were

      Chapter 4

      A Change's Gonna Come

      Chapter 5

      All for One and One for All

      Chapter 6

      The Impact

      Chapter 7

      Informal Suspension

      Chapter 8

      Purpose-Driven Life

      Chapter 9

      Hidden Figures

      Chapter 10

      Lessons Learned

      Appendix

      Virginia Public School Integration Time Line at a Glance

      Civil Rights at a Glance

      References

      About the Author

      In memory of my father, George Ruffin McCoy; my sister Rubye Renà McCoy; Mr. Junius Gills, a community leader; and to all the other Black children who participated in this effort, all of whom made significant contributions toward the desegregation of public schools in Virginia Beach (formally known as Princess Anne County), Virginia. I give you homage for your sacrifices, support, and input in bringing this book to actualization.

      Preface

      To the beloved reader, thank you for giving your valuable time to read the accounts of one child's experience of desegregation in the southeast of America. It is the author's hope that through accounts of some of the historical civil rights events throughout the United States that are depicted here and those that impacted my family, you, too, will gain knowledge and reflect on where you and your family members were during these periods of time. The old school candy Tootsie Roll Pops (colorful on the outside but all chocolate on the inside) was used in a simple analogy by my dad to explain to me (a five – to- six- year- old) regarding racial differences that we may be different on the outside, but we're exactly the same on the inside.

      The intent of the author is to document these accounts to enlighten and stretch your minds so you may have a better understanding of the plight of many African American families who have evolved through decades of unfair treatment and many of the events that have been pivotal to the understanding of why Black Lives Matter in America. Additionally, I pray that you too, regardless of your ethnicity, can share your life's stories so that we, as the human race (the only race that matters), will become more tolerant of each other and realize that we are more similar than different and that we are all God's children and should be striving to leave this world better off because we were in it as we work together toward the ultimate goal of a colorless eternity.

      Acknowledgments

      I would like to take this opportunity to give thanks to those who have been instrumental in encouraging, inspiring, motivating, and supporting me in the process of bringing this book to fruition.

      First, I'd like to thank God for guiding me not just through the process of writing this book but for his grace and mercy that has kept me through the trials and tribulations of my life and the lives of those connected to me. It is my prayer that the contents of this work, which is based on my truth, are pleasing to him and ignite a desire for the reader to engage in courageous conversations to end racism that is perpetuated on so many levels throughout our nation and the world. It is through this type of transparency that we can and will continue the healing process of our community and nation.

      My dad was the inspiration for the book. I was too young to fully understand the significance of integration of public schools. However, in his infinite wisdom, he had the ingenious ability to use practical analogies to explain to me the importance of our plight, which gave meaning to the struggle. It was he, along with my mother, who instilled in me the spirit of boldness and assertiveness that gave me a lifelong demeanor of courage in the face of adversity.

      My deceased sister Rubye (our family called her by her middle name, Renà) and I entered this journey together. At the time, we were the only two Black children at Kempsville Elementary School in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As we grew older, we often discussed our experiences and were always committed to documenting our story, if no more than just for our family history. Her memory has been a constant presence throughout the entire writing process of this work. We experienced overwhelming bullying, ridicule, and racial tension in the first couple of years. But for me, that first year, with her by my side, gave me comfort. She was a fifth grader and had a better understanding of the goal of our purpose during this endeavor. Her sweet disposition, mild manner, kind heart, and insistence that we ignore the ongoing mental and frequent physical abuse helped me to endure the bullying by pretending that it did not bother me (although it did). She gave me the strength to persevere through most of it without visible scars. I thank God that she was there.

      In 2010, when I first toyed with the idea of writing this book (of course, life events seemed to readily divert my attention, and it has taken a lot longer than anticipated), Mr. Junius Gills was the only living member (president) of the civic organization where he, my dad, and two others were the driving force behind the end to desegregation in public schools in Princess Anne County, Virginia. Through a face-to-face interview, he provided firsthand accounts, documented evidence, and gave additional insight into the rationale for the initial movement toward public school desegregation. Mr. Gills passed away at the age of eighty-four the following year (2011), but I thank him and his family for providing information that I did not have, clarifying some of what I thought I knew, and validating facts in which I was sure of.

      To my best friend, Donald P. Smith, my husband. Thank you for over thirty years of marriage. The journey that we've shared and your constant support through each endeavor are what have propelled me to a place of self -awareness, reflection, and consciousness to boldly document my truth. Without your support, I'm not sure that this book would have come to life.

      You have been a sounding board for my scattered recollections of the past as you encouraged me to research historical events for validity. You get me, and I love and appreciate you for your understanding of my sometimes exhausting efforts for promoting the fair treatment of others and my enthusiasm for working for just causes even when it is not the most popular thing to do.

      Thank you to my son, Donovan, and my daughter-in-love, Tia, for keeping it real. Thank you for providing a millennial perspective as to how the relevance of history impacts the thinking of today's youth and acknowledging the importance of knowing your cultural history from shared stories of the past. How can you respect what you don't know? I love the freethinkers that you are and how you study God's Word together, navigating through these chaotic times as you strive to fulfill his purpose for your lives. It is because of you that I was compelled to complete this endeavor so that you have a foundation for a piece of our family's history to share with your own offspring, Gia and Van, the current brightest lights in my life.

      Chapter 1

      Embryonic Stage of Change

      Knock, knock, knock. I listened at my parents' door. Daddy? Ma-Mè? I don't feel good.

      My mother answered in the most nurturing tone, Yeah. Come in, baby. What's wrong, Elaine?

      I was experiencing dry heaves and an upset stomach in anticipation of what was in store for me on the first day of my second-grade schoolyear. This was the beginning of what is now known as the end to desegregation in Virginia Beach, Virginia, public schools, formally known as Princess Ann County, Virginia.

      I started first grade at age five as I had been taught most of what was expected of kindergartners at home by my older siblings. My parents often expressed their delight that people were always commenting to them about how bright I was.

      In church Sunday school and plays, I read well for my age

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