With All Deliberate Speed; Leona Tate & Mrs. Rogers Interviews

Crowd of people are going to remember that much going on inside from the outside. Well you know what you remember about going to school. Yes. Maybe what you hear us here is a little bit about what you thought people. Before going on with the prep. You know they talk like normal dare. Do tell us that. Not to be afraid. You know it was going to be different and I was on the stand and I can remember the marshals coming out of the house picking us up. Well go right into the school it wonderful just a whole crowd of people in the street yelling and what they were

OK I can't remember gone in the school. It was a crowd is good. Here's what we set in office for some time you know. Let's go to the classes during the day. You're arrested accused. At any time. Now. Now they want a free will they have time to think about it. You know it really wasn't something that they were pushed to do so they understood. When you talk to your family if you grew up. Had they ever said anything what they went through what they thought that they were going to be that you were going to be able to get mail.

You know the house the house was gone a long walk out with the mail didn't come to the house it went to the end of the CPR. And you said it was all good Marilyn and get any you know they're immediately denied by us for is it affecting their job wise. You had mentioned that you were confused about school while Gorm in the sunlight. Looks like like monogrammed there's just ONE LIFE TO SCHOOL I have been gone to which I was on a school like the year I was in first grade but it was different from the first year I did go to school. OK let me let me ask you again how about how it was different. You remember asking your mother about having to

go to school. It just looked like it was more guys and while we had to go during that time everybody else was gone. But you can. I did notice there everybody out there were white. OK I can remember that only black people while families the same people behind us. I wonder knowing now what you do about that and what you went through and what the other girls and the other families got. Would you do it again. So I think I'll do it again. I want my kids again and that stick behind the same stick. Why do you give them a stride. You know they have something on the floor to to you know never my sisters and everybody knows

it. What do you what do you know about girls that want. What they want and need. I really doubt. That. I don't. Know. I don't really know what you mean job wise now. Back then with their parents. Why don't I can't remember if they did they wouldn't have gone any further. About your later years. They want to live up to the fourth grade they were normal. Ever drink wine down went to school with everybody. It was written down and I was seen yet it brought it back up again.

But it was like only for a day right before graduating and that's when a lot of kids that did go to school what if that time remember you still live. With that time that were with us during that time that I remember but they've you know gone. So. When you hear that those kinds of things what do you think about what out. I do you know I can't really feel it because I don't understand it. All I can understand and what I can remember that very little.

It was also. I think about it again you realize how important you are. I don't know when I think about it but it was just the recognition. To go to the school when they walk in. No I didn't go. No we just went to watch them go in because we knew there was going to be. How would they thought we thought they might need some help. We live in a neighborhood.

Well there was an enormous crowd of reporters from all over the world. Some of them I'd seen pictures some of them I knew and I know in their writings I thought my goodness this is really a world event. Because we knew as it was but we didn't expect that because so few people paying attention to things like that. So we saw them all go in the white mothers in the black and black children and we see trouble breath of relief. Good now that's all over. And then they came out and one white woman began jumping up and down all those who didn't want her children to go to school. So they fight mothers all to their children and the black mothers left their children and we shot her five. Because we knew that the whole night's world was watching as she would live there quite a while and we

felt really part of it. And that's what we went there for to feel part of it. So that all seemed to be settled. Then the school opened the school's registration as I remember it there were two days and I think that's accurate because I looked up today in the public library and the day they went in there's just black children in this enormous mob now across the street from that school. McDonnell 19 was the first school we saw there was a variety store owned by a man named Vester and his two sons and he was head of the White Citizens Council. And from behind that story there came a raft of young boys teenage boys with all sorts of nasty slogans. You want me to tell you what they were. No probably not. But we had heard them before and we heard them again and we knew about that because my husband had been several times to see him and upgraded him for his

white children as counsel and he would have to take a monologue or argue with the father and sons. And that's where they came and those boys were from the Nichols school. Now there's a story about that but I don't want to go into too much detail on that however. That was one of the worst buildings there ever was when we were rescued from Betsy we were put in the schools and we were put in a small white school and the school was disgustingly dirty and she wished her well. There's your quote She promises they've they've cut off their own noses to spite their face because their schools are bad because they have trying to run to school systems when they don't have really enough money for one. So that's how that was. So then we random I didn't go to the French school my husband when he said oh it was awful it was a crowd there. I was wrong I went who didn't speak English and she lived apparently lived opposite. And she had a little stone house there and there was

a bird bath in front and she was jumping up and down on the birdbath yelling obscenity and the birdbath broke and everybody cheered not everybody but all are sad that we're watching. And that was where the pastor from St. Louis said Mark. Methodist Church took his children and his neighbor's children in a pool all year to keep that school from being pure white. I mean pure black. To keep well to try to even it up. The girls participated in their program the families were breaking in with a guy do indeed I do. Have you ever faced a mob that wanted to kill you. Well I never have either but I've faced rather threatening not Bush and lots and lots of stretch. We came from New England and the Far West and other places here in order

to organize unions and when you have good union you are going to work for the boss regardless so what shape or color they are. And you get into some very tight places because the bosses don't always like that. Do you remember about the judges. Or well I didn't go to the court cases I didn't follow those very much I knew Daniel Byrd and some of the other to the end of the leadership belong to that for quite a while and some other struggle administrations were here and I had a great respect for Dan your bird and the others Mr. Truro. But the judges I didn't have any contact with them. Not that I'm rather sure but what do you remember about for example about all Jaish Kyle you write was wonderful. Yes we did we did know him we used to write him and praised him for what he had done. We were very sorry when you

left and right know that he was greatly missed. Here he was a very very good influence a fine person. You don't have to mention names but what do you know. Some of them occurred to the families. Yes I know especially about the provost who has was living nearest to me for I might as well say here that I was advised by some black principals that we were close to not to bother with girls at that time they were going through so much and their parents were having such a difficult time. I understand that some of them well couldn't get to the father of Tessie couldn't get another job for a long time and they they they got gifts from all over the world to help them along but that wasn't the way they wanted to live. We should naturally and their little street it's a street halfway between it's cut

through in the middle of a block. It's just about five houses long and both ends of that street were patrolled for a whole year by the police to keep them from being disturbed. Yeah yeah city did do a pretty good job on it I think that New Orleans could be fairly proud of because it didn't have quite as much trouble as a lot of other places. But I think it's been very remiss in not doing anything to honor the families and children should show this was a highly political issue because of nights war this shower at home. We did a lot of work at the time that the Becci flood came here and we found the people of the Knights ward all new homes in a great proportion and lots of other parts of the city and that meant they all had to work awfully hard for it and it always pleased us that some of the black people who were getting good war jobs had better houses and white people who were just doing same holeshot said always done. My husband was a manual

worker. He was a construction worker. His sympathies were all with the people who did the hard work and that meant black people. Not more so than his need to. Make sure. That. We are still there. Yes we're going into the record. Maybe but what good is going to help. Them with both thing on earth if there's any way. To. Get me to take it or if you don't get here that's my thought. Yes you took the dishes I was with

you. You know we can get really really. Good. To hear when you take it off get that water bottle over there and she. Was going. Through into the pretty. Little water. If. You're going to go that sure. But. Make sure

it's an assessment right now. Oh yeah.