Feb. 1 marks the beginning of Black History Month. This is an annual celebration of the achievements of African Americans or people of African descent in the United States. Black history month was created by Carter G. Woodson, the second African American to graduate from Harvard University with a doctorate degree. He is credited with being one of the first scholars to study and research the history of African Americans.
For the past 46 years, The Rockdale Reporter has participated in the historical education of its citizens by publishing the annual articles written by my grandmother Susie E. Sansom Piper. This collection celebrated the achievements, contributions, and legacy of people of African American descent from the Rockdale area or with ties to the Rockdale community. The stories also memorialized those contributions to society for generations to come.
This year the national theme for Black History Month is “Black Resistance.” A lengthy discussion from the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (ASALH) explores how African Americans have resisted historic and ongoing oppression. According to the ASALH, the 1950s and 1970s in the U.S. were defined by actions such as sit-ins, boycotts, walk-outs, strikes, peaceful organized movements and sometimes violent insurrections against slavery, such as in Haiti. Other activities to address discrimination or inequality in everything from employment and housing to education and healthcare continue to be raised to the forefront. More recently, over the past several years, there has been an expanded global focus and public visualization due to the availability of social media and access to news on racial tensions.
Over the next few weeks, I will continue to highlight African Americans from the Milam County or Rockdale area who have contributed to society through education, athletics, business ownership and literature. The focus is Black Resistance through Resilience. As a child, growing up in Rockdale, the theme in our household was always excellence. A drive to succeed and excel in whatever we did was important. There was no need to conform to the opinions of society; but always striving to be the best I could be.
When I think about the black community, I never really thought about racial tensions. I grew up post integration and, while I heard the stories of oppression, I know that Mama shielded us from some of the truly hateful things people sometimes said and did. Some may find it strange; but living across the tracks was just a way of life. My friends were all races and although we lived in different places, I never looked at it as a challenge. Only in recent years with the availability and access to people through social media, have I seen some of the ugliness that comes from racism and classism. Nevertheless, I think about my childhood with pride and good memories. The Rockdale community was full and thriving as I grew up.
Every street across the tracks was full of families and community or church leaders. My neighbors were business owners and hard workers. Mr. J.B. and Myrtle Tindle lived next door. He retired from the railroad, and she owned a beauty shop in what we would now call a guest house in her yard. Next to them were the Grays. Mr. Freddie Gray was from my memory, the first African American on the Rockdale City Council. He worked at Alcoa and his wife, Ms. Jean also owned a beauty shop in the back of their house. Mrs. Frankie McDonald was a schoolteacher. Lamie Frankie as I called her had a goldfish pond in her front yard. She always had treats for me when I went to visit. Across the street were the Joneses family. Calvin, one of my best friends and classmates had a large family. We played baseball in the big field in front of my house almost daily, at least until high school.
Vernon Street was full of plant workers, educators and business owners. Three churches sat on Third Street, now Gertharine Green Avenue, and when we didn’t go to one, we went to the other. I could name most of the residents on the six or eight streets across the tracks and those near the blacksmith shop owned by my great-grandfather, Julius “Bose” Moultry. The point is that it was a full and thriving community. When things happened, the neighbors knew. They formed a strong network of powerful people who made the best of the daily living and as a result formed an extended family network for the children who lived there. The Metcalfs, Wesleys, Williams, Locklins, Shields, Neighbors, Greens, Banks, Parkers, Neeleys, McGregors, Macks, Tindles, Jones, Grays, Stevens, Hearts, Brooks, and so many more, sowed positive seeds into the lives of the children who lived there.
As 2023 approached, the word “reignite” was presented to me in multiple forums. Today, “reignite” takes on a new meaning. Rockdale and the surrounding communities are changing. People moving in but do not know about the excellence in the Rockdale schools, the awards and titles we won to put Rockdale on the map, and the people of all colors who formed strong bonds to contribute to the lives of its citizens.
I can’t say that everything in Rockdale was perfect. Like every town, there will always be those who strive to help and those who hurt people. But Rockdale is resilient. The African Americans who lived there and in the surrounding communities for the most part have also been resilient. Many have left the area; but their children and grandchildren have grown to benefit from the lessons learned in the churches and tenants of those older citizens across the tracks that have now all gone.
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