American Experience; Freedom Riders; Interview with Mary Jean Smith, 1 of 3

and this would create a very very much again excited to talk with you on it was star asked me an easy part growing up in segregation do you experience that what were sometimes you know the rules of segregation i'm really intro they do in their time in the neighborhood i lived in family friends everybody lived in the same area you went to the same church you went to the same screw you went to the same hospital didn't have to say white people too much an issue went downtown in the end you just went with dumas mine of course they hadn't been at the color and the white mountains with the ham you know the sense of that which is still happy to get downtown that was sent out and you know and in the neighborhood that i lived in there was a bus

that went straight down to them which i guess she was a was a cola busby fast nobody else lived in that neighborhood they may have been two or three white people in the neighborhood but it wasn't you know a bit they pay annually real as about segregation until i met her about you know what he and i met my mother and uncles and things top but until imitating cat keel i didn't think about the big part of you know so it was like i had to go to school with them have the white teachers or whatever and so it really didn't affect me that much will you grow up and you remember the first time you saw white colors and i learned to read and there were white and coke was they would kill your mother was a dog drink out of that vow to accept it it wants when i get bigger had the amount about this song maggie's they say that but

it was like i didn't really care about the segregation as far as playing to get me was if i want to do something then i came is not that bad and ready to go in live in your neighborhood or go to school with you i was comfortable where i was assigned the new me ask you about what you know where that was a restorer public places hit our public places hit the water fountains code why and the color print and the color and the white print out why but they both look to sanger and they both tastes and so do you remember that day and not see you know

it was just something i deal and i don't remember exactly what it was but i did know that i didn't hear the things that your first rebellious action i guess a patient could ban thousand own accountant or belgian not so but i didn't i can just pinpoint a specific time that idea a specific thing so well mama or maybe you know you can say you know well what would you know my first years at a loss here and actually say that he was here in nashville i was born and raised in the issue and on it was downtown someplace proudly chris's fort mcclellan spells with a ten cent spills any of a battle when there could have been harvey is where we went to

bad things you know i can't remember exactly where it was some were you know made it in the store like what they hear your small and you three the why and the south was it was no big deal to me you know if there weren't if they were going to do anything about it not that idiot this way i'm saying it in advance army i don't know no benefit to pay so that's been a part of me all my life if i do something nobody knows what i did at one can match i remember once there were housed with a girlfriend and we went and one of the stores and there was a group of white girls and they say it's something i don't know what it was but it is something real maine and

not some bottles over on and can't walk in and they just looked at us and they kind of scrap rate that i just remembered that and i don't know i don't know why do you get when you said do i wanted to do it so i did it was because they didn't like and they didn't like me and i like them out about what they say it but they say it's sent in maine and so i just you know and kept going so let's just a little too i'm kind of the free ride ends where you know you hear about against it i was at home probably heard it it was on a sunday and i don't know exactly where i've heard of someone called me

because at that time i was a part of the student movement and another was in the papers you know so i don't know exactly where i was i really don't incisive questions that raises ethical question that i've heard about the us attorney is no okay i heard about the bus burning in anniston at home i believe i got a phone call from a frame and we talked about it and i'm i'm not mistaken there was a meeting cold because the next step was the trip to montgomery and i did not go and kiss did you feel like i want to be beaten up or chiodo whatever because they hire ten miles so some of my friends had gone as a matter fact i got i got a postcard from one of them after

she made it from montgomery to birmingham and then she came back home for the exams and that's when this talk of going to mississippi and no i still wasn't going let's back to see the photo rescue innocent birthday and your family and you heard i don't know what i thought i really don't know i just and it was a terrible thing i did know everybody headed know the people most of the people on the bus i mean some of the names but thomas was the only guy named kenny remember right this minute if he was i think now he was not i

mean the mean banker person to say yeah yes you are to help himself it was hard to see the pictures of the carnage you know that was going on at that time what did you choose and you were you shocked me and it was you know people were burned alive is to clearly describe a little what you want to happen to the bus what i heard was what i saw on the tv that they had burned the bus have heard more lately a raid more you know lately that idea that that tan but does the very fact that they would burn the bus driver a moment that was bad enough so i kept putting more emotion and get

your reaction ok abby johnson say and don't exactly remember what my emotions were except hard fact that's the way i couldn't let their records put it was you on the cory davis i didn't know what to think and to know that they were planning to disband when they were beaten that's what nashville stepped in and took it up but as i say it i was not going with them and i support him be safe but i can't go and i didn't go and what was in the air and then you realize we're going to

review we're afraid to go now what's in the emotion that you didn't get killed there and didn't know what would happen and i wasn't sure how a nonviolent i was going to be if i did go and it would not work you know it was it made me made it made me angry plus i needed to get a job it to finish my exams it was ten foot exams i was had finished there a new a good job that someone so as far as i was concerned i had done i could do and that was the end of that and you'll keep on well a follow up that was non violent west with that i mean that was you see where she could be me i mean we were all manpower the student movement was not was a

nonviolent movement i mean if someone hits you put a cigarette out on you spent on you you just took it and he didn't like that but i wasn't sure that i was going to be able to continue that had been pushed iran to understand the ins and i was never hit that had no i mean i was pushed so hard sometimes you know crab some mathematics he met anyone know what you know thousands going on but i was never say you know same old out and smacked around because the gas trying to keep the girls surround it and asked wednesday with the baby's kazakh fed but this is the way it was but i made it through the art and i came close to be an injured at all her was one night stand in front of two cp am

i one of the it's an issue which more than we had so many people that night spending the un that they asked some of us to step out and go across the street to one of the tomb of the yellow drug stores and city and i remember sitting before the senate goes through the city so i went across asked about and went across the street and again it took matt plays received about the viola pay it is he had from upstairs and i had been standing there have gadget so i was always just this far away from the danger but it was that immense that moment shore you know will how this episode of peace or discussion on new year's day at part of you and monet it's a year in

taxable not only that nyu and i'd think i could and how so i didn't want to disappoint my mother and have her where an impact me she worried enough she didn't tell me i couldn't go but i don't even think i discussed it with her but i knew she didn't want me to go wow so how's oh she hated it and so i just made it my man no i'm not going in some points out was a really rash to address it now i am a mom and i'm not gone and i didn't go and wrestling with this question and i'll try to be done by the only get two buses if we had turned nonviolent it would defeat the purpose the purpose of the whole thing was to be and i'm not going to start a column and cost right

matt cain thanks trait but we were taught to be nonviolent to turn the other cheek co one ever let them do what they want to do and we will prevail and it would make them look at their lap they were stupid was just you know coming up cursing you and hit now new indie pin them no attention and it's this was the way it was it did feel they could potentially strike out or more react or retaliate when you i'm sorry i'm at that age and i know you know get the age that i was nineteen and i wasn't sure what do you know so vera was come sunday the

only thing i could do was stay at home and that's what it means the trainee did you go through the training and what was it we get workshops i remember i can't tell you when it was i would go to the workshops to the workshop and at the church and watched them had never been dissipated became one of the actors you know as they reenacted what might happen you know i remember being in the church one of the nights when they were re elected what it might happen what should get downtown and i said i can't do that and i wonder why not if someone walked up to me with the cigarette and burnley

and i'm gonna sit there and not turn around and slap him know i could i couldn't do it that i didn't think i could so it was an army of me messing up everything you know it's going to have to stop it with the season and yet it on wednesday jindal later on oranges and where he was they are on camera man any other names because there was a lot of a lot of people you really you know what is attractive the first place is too busy you'd be looking for change your watch the training are you sure you can can you cut his own pay after meeting

a few people that that at the college that went to and they would talk to us about things that are going on because there were different things going on out of the united states and with me not been a political person ever but that don't mean think what can you do that's the way it is and the more i listen and sadly going to the meetings and read in an immense best i could and then when you're a us what he's hoping is that there's still a lot that's their city as that is there a sense that it was exciting it was exciting and we would go and something than it was making other people say that this needs to be done the adult started someone didn't agree you know they said no space the parents

and then there was sound that were on a set but some of my friends they didn't get hooked they may have been curious and go downtown the second i think that they didn't stay for the long haul just to see that we will make a difference you know hopefully will make a difference and get into the movies right away you know but we would they are and they do it with him was serious that was the main thing we were serious level where he witnessed an epic in the rain in and call him a city to see in that on that picture ahead of a scarf on it and it was raining but in

an umbrella sounds a weapon so we stand in the rain you know and we didn't think anything about it we sang songs and we were orderly there's another thing we were orderly we get you we were a mob and i came up to us they were the mob not us so it was yes you as well for most of us a specially for me an inmate in a training i was brought up to be courteous and polite i was never rowdy they and so you know it was it was not hard to follow directions and that's what i would do i would go there not where i'm supposed to be there mad which land i'm going to be in and do what i'm supposed to do until they say sam alito you know when i was arrested we

go back and we're way and then regroup another day so that's the way it was where you were part of this nonviolence you know there are actually passive resistors the precise terms but you don't agree with me on sheer can read we were dressed like ladies and gentlemen i mean you know they were going to press close what is the way the college students look back in them days anyway so this way we looked we went out on the markets so it was that are you know this you know get a little of the training at a party or

at clean to be you know dressed a certain way on what we tried to say that was the message you need to just as good as anybody else you know we were just as good as any that erupts and there was no difference where we treated differently what we have to be treated equally and why could why didn't we get to go get a galley to the movies with a rebellious one in the front door and planted we have to stand at a counting on our food and taken up sad and eat when they are plenty of cheers because city so that was ten to stop oh yes that season were saying you know we're doing the service thats to house reaction to have change and would end segregation now says there are waiting found a day that's

you know in the beginning i was now a political and i was tired of living in the city as the site of that line it makes sense but that the cancer tammy alive when you decide that maybe things about the way they're supposed to be and if there's a way that you can hit maker change didn't do it and when this opportunity came along and i felt like i could be a part of it that's when i became a part of the movement why is the segregation of the year

inequality water fountains restaurants no place to go to the bathroom and no place to sit i mean you can't go in and said can you can't get a job except for a b and the cook can those campaigns a rat in the bus and you see in the back in the rebellious in the front if you were a boss with that's mixed on those campaigns were as i get older i could see a little bit more and it was not a good feeling that doesn't matter says he'll work with their trade and re read going through yes that's so one of the reasons we had been successful with the city and end the standing and there were still a few places that were not

completely set the segregated we really an that's the way it was then that affected a lot of people came through mansfield to be trying to go to mississippi so we had to get the steward of war we knew how to do it like that rye ay de mesquita somebody ups i was trained but paid hard won right jasmine and didn't know what to do sell half a lack of just stay home so that when you do decide to go do you walk that is more attention in a more beans

why are there are on a rig that's the funny part of candidates and in one family to work with the mother she worked out this way in the only an i when i went to work with characters we did have ten not attend again sometimes i will go with their and stay around with her for a few hours and were talking about you know when the job of women run into an hour li of her about the new hit back home and now i'm on the bus there were a couple in front of me i'll white couple in front of me they were in that same age as me and they were listening to a transistor radio

en the analysis day at the freedom riders are fast and so one and say it when i hope our goals eons back and when she saved that something clicked and asked out of thinking i say this is what it's all about that that's where i need to go i'm supposed to go i'm supposed to hear their i don't know what it was but i found myself when that transfer data clampdown the jams and treats us to go home the next thing i knew i was off the bus and our remote office not as leo i had no idea what tam they were leaving or if they were gone isaac a nasty ago and he say yes be back here at five o'clock so i lit up walk home pay my suitcase common mother and telecoms going and she's a belief you have to go along and that's what

it meant to listen to this day