Eyes on the Prize II; Interview with Frederica McDuffie

Okay, we're rolling now, so I'm going to ask you, back in time, tell me, do you remember the first time, when was the first moment you met Arthur? The first moment I met Arthur, there was a harmonious deep feeling inside of me, and I said to myself, hey, I like this guy, what was it about to him that you liked? That sweet look on his face that he had. Where was it that you met him and tried to keep the story going? I met him one afternoon, my mother had sent me to the store to buy a small can of peas. And on my way to the store, I seen this guy there, but I decided that I would continue

to walk on, even though I know deep inside, they were there feeling in me that I wanted to talk with him. And I went in, I bought my can of peas for mom, and on my return back home, standing all alone, himself on the corner, I said to myself, I know the question is going to pop up, truly and surely, he decided to walk along with me, and he said to me, hi, I said hello, he said, um, where are you going, I said, I'm on my way home now, I said, may I walk with you, I say, sure, so he said, I like you, I say, really, he said, yes, may I talk with you, I said, not right now, I have to go now. So he said, may I have your number, I said, well, yes, and I gave him my number and he

called me and we talked over the phone, you know, for maybe about an hour or so, and just like I said, the question was popped, and he said to me, would you go with me, my response, yes. I thought it was a warm and kindhearted person, he was very joyous, joyful, loving, kind, it was just great, you know, personality wise, it was just sweet, activities, he participated in in high school, he was a member of the marching band for Book of Washington, he was

on the swim team, which he won several first places, he was also president of the Book of Washington band, which I was also a part of, that, you know, organization as well. So he was just merely a well-friendly guy. Okay, so now you, oh, stop for a minute, it's 24, all right, now, you know, you're making a sound like a saint, well, he was, he was a saint, it's by his own concern, he was, he was my cherished, and I cherished my saint, because he was my love, my one and my only and my first love, all right, now, when did you decide that maybe you'd get married, tell

me how to describe how that happened? Well, we decided to get married once we both finished high school, but at the mean time, I've finished high school two years before I did, I finished like class of 1967, I served three years in a service, Marines, so during the time that he was in the Marines, we kept communications through letters, and we prepared ourselves, you know, while he was in the service that we will get married once you return home and out of the service, and he was discharged from the service in October 5th of 1968, and we married November 2nd, 1968. What was the wedding like? Tell me about describing a picture of your wedding.

My wedding day was very exciting, I think we both were more anxious than ever, the night before the wedding, well, we rehearsal for the wedding, and after the wedding rehearsal, we were not allowed to see one another, and I think he was a little bit too excited to see me, so he decided that he would come over anyway to see me the day of the wedding, and I was at my mother's house, and he had to bring over the massage from my mom, and as he entered the door, he says, with my wife, and my mom said, not your wife yet. So he was trying to get back to see me, and everyone said, no, you can't see the bride, you can't see it now until the time of the wedding. So I think he was quite excited, you know, more excited to see me before the final time of the wedding.

So you waited for him while he was in the service? I waited three years for him. Were you ever anxious that he'd come back a different person than the one that left you because of his worldliness, having been away in the service? Not really, I don't... I put it in a statement, no, I wasn't worried he'd come back differently. No, I was not worried about him coming back differently, because there was no way of saying that he was going to make any great change over in three years, period of time. I mean, strongly communication was even better away than it was when he was here, you know, doing the years of dating. Did Arthur talk a lot about his service at period he was in the service? What did he think about the war? He talked about the service very little because I don't think he was quite excited

about making years of turn in there. He was mostly concerned of making a strong life on the outset once he completed the service. So very little communication about his service turn. To my knowledge his goal, mine was to strive and strive for nothing but the best, no matter what you were involving yourself, just strive and strive for the top and nothing but to the top. What kind of a pictured had he painted for you of the life that you would lead? Strongly the life that he painted for me was the life for a marriage, the family life. He was a devoted man, he was a hardworking man, and most of all a strong provider for the family.

What business did he go into when he got out of the service and why? Once he got out of the service, like I said, we've gotten married because it was like maybe a month from the time that he was out in the service. We lived at a small duplex one bedroom and he was not working, he was looking for employment. He always wanted something that was top-related. Once he started looking for his employment, he was working as Wells Fargo.

To my knowledge, he worked there for three months and he felt as if it was dangerous, he didn't really like it too well. Then he decided that he would go into UPS service, driving trucks, and actually he stated he said it was too much hard work in long hours. We were at home and what happened was we didn't have no type of insurance and the insurance salesman came around and knocked to the door. He was welcoming and he spoke with us about taking out insurance. In the meantime, we did accept taking out the insurance and he also spoke with him about becoming an insurance salesman. He took upon that application of applying for the insurance salesman and he reached his goal is doing very well.

He strived on and strived on until he became supervisor and had several guys working up under his commands and he enjoyed it. We got a rollout on this roll and the camera rolls and we're going to change it. He took everything and strived. No conflicts, not at all. Did he ever comment on the notion that like people, 26? Did all they ever comment at all about justice and black men and what, you know, how people sometimes say, oh god, black and a man in this society got a hard road to hope. Did you ever talk about anything like that?

As far as saying black men is having a hard win in life, as we were growing up, we noticed that black people were having a hard win. They were just normally making a life of living. He always known that it was hard for black people because he was from Georgia and back in those times, you know life was hard living and making it in Georgia. Those things, they were common for him. Did he give me a brief idea as to what drove you to the divorce one another? Well, we started having complications with our marriage. I started being a little bit more devoted to the outside world than he would be for home.

And I'm the type of woman that will not tolerate it. But at one point you two were talking about getting back together again, right? We decided that we would remarry again in the event that we would make changes in both of our lives. Actually, there didn't have to be any changes in my life, but as far as his life, he had to make a great change. And I decided to make that change after I confessed. He confessed to me that he loved me more than he ever loved me. He felt this though, he needed to make a change in his life, and he decided that that's what he wanted to do. Now, do you remember the days in December 1979 before he went on that motorcycle ride?

What did you think of him in that motorcycle? Well, as he was on the motorcycle, I really didn't know that author was on the motorcycle. Because author was here at my home, we went out to a Christmas party the night before. He was on the motorcycle. And we arrived home pretty late. So we spent that particular night together from the Christmas party. And after Wogan had breakfast and everything and had prepared dinner, he was going back to check on his house. And he spoke with me that he will return to keep the kids because I worked 11 to 7 at night, and no author showed up. So I decided that I had to make preparations to get the kids to be taken care of for that particular night.

I stopped for a second, I stopped out. Marked? 27. You were saying something about that not, you looked up the next night and author wasn't there. Start over at that point. Keep your story going. No, I said the, on my return, I had to go to work that night, and not to spoke with me that he was, he'll be back to keep the kids at particular night that I had to go to work. But he did not arrive, so I decided that I had to make preparations for the kids to be taken care of for that particular night that I had to work. I went to work and the kids were with the babysitter. And while I was at work, which was 2 o'clock in the morning, I was in a patient's room, and it happened to be standing to the window, and I looked out, and I,

seen an ammonium coming by, following to the emergency room, and I said to myself, well, someone is coming in. Well, let me stop you right here now. It's not clear that you worked in the hospital. I want to ask you to start over one more time, and let us know that, in fact, you worked at the very hospital. So pick it up for the same flight again early on. The very same hospital that author was admitted to, it's your hospital where I worked, which is Jackson Memorial Hospital. And that particular time, like I said, that he arrived there, and I did know that he was in a hospital that same night that I was working. Okay, let's stop down a second here, I'm sorry. Okay, I screwed that up for you. Okay, market.

20th. Okay, let's start again. The night that I had to go to work, I thought I didn't arrive home to keep the kids, so I made a decision to go and take the kids to the babysitter, so someone can keep them. While I was at work at Jackson Hospital, I walked into my patient's room, and I looked out the window, and I saw the ambulance coming across, and I said to myself, oh my gosh, someone is coming in, and this was two o'clock in the morning, not knowing that at the same time that it was author coming in. Never did I think any more about the patient, nor did I think of author. I decided to continue my work on. I work until my regular shift change, which is 7.30 in the morning. I prepare my patients for the next morning. I clocked out, which is my regular time of 7.30.

Before I clocked out at 7.30, I call author at home and spoke with this baby sister, which stated to me that he was at sleep, and I said to her, don't wake him up. I'll call him when I arrive at home. I clocked out my job, I returned home. Instead of coming in directly, as usual, like I usually do, or as I intended to do, I decided my neighbor spoke with me that morning and held me up for maybe about an hour or hour and a half talking. So I didn't get a chance to call him at home, because I usually leave between eight that morning to go out for his business. I came in late, changed up, and I went back over to my mother, pick her up,

and we decided that we'll go watch Christmas shopping. As I returned from Christmas shopping, there was a note on my door stating to get in contact with the office immediately, sign Larry. Instead of calling the office, I decided that I would drive to Larry's house. At the moment I arrived, Larry stepped out the door, and he stated to me, if it was Federica, was I throwing a motorcycle, or he stated, does I have a motorcycle? And I said, yes, and I broke down. Larry walked me in and calmed me down and asked me to call the office. And I said, Larry, what's the problem? What's the problem? And he spoke to me that deaf was in a motorcycle accident. I said to him, no, you're not telling me this Federica calmed down. After I did calm myself down, I had to come back and pick up my kid from school.

And as I walk in, the hospital called me. And they asked me several questions over the phone. And immediately they needed me to come to the hospital to identify his name. And I said, what is the problem? What's wrong? And as the doctor was speaking to me over the phone, they stated the several problems that was going on with him. And I said to him, I will be there as soon as possible. Instead, I called his oldest brother, and a moment breaking down in tears, I asked, Lewis, did you hear about your brother? He said, Reeker, calm down. They said that he was in a motorcycle accident.

I say, who hit him on the motorcycle? No one hit him as Lewis stated. He ran himself into a wall. And it's just like saying, I feel a little better because I heard the word from the older brother. As my kid arrived from school, I drove to the hospital. I've gotten nearer. They would not let me into seeing. I asked the doctor why they said to me, we're working on him. You will be able to see him in a couple of hours. There was four hours before I seen Arthur. When I did see Arthur, it was like, no, this is not Arthur. This is not an accident. We have to stop right here. We'll take it over there.

Your camera roll, 1139. Mark it. Take the knife. Pick up a story from where you first see Arthur. When I went in to see Arthur, I said to myself, no, this is not Arthur. This is not an accident. Let's stop for a second, please. Mark it. 30. I ain't going back to the point where we were the first time you saw Arthur. The first time I seen Arthur in the hospital, I stated to myself that this is not Arthur. This is not an accident. As they said, it was. Oh my god. Mark it. 31. Okay.

The first time I saw Arthur. The first time I seen Arthur in the hospital. The first time I seen Arthur in the hospital. I said to myself, this is not Arthur. This is not an accident. Arthur's head was so swollen. There's no features in his face at all. Arthur's eyes were totally popped out. The neck was no where to be found on Arthur. I mean, it was just totally swollen all up. Arthur's body was more bruises and more scratches from the ground. It was just totally all over his legs and his arms. The total body movement was just a jerk movement. And I'm saying to myself, no accident could look like this. What happened next?

The doctors asked me to step out. I stepped out and spoke with the doctors. And I asked them what happened. They stated to me in the report that came along with them to the emergency room. That he was in an accident. And I said, doctor, what type of surgery did you perform on him? The doctor said that we bolted, we had to go in in his head and put bolts in his head to release the pressure that was floating around the brains. Now take me to the moment when you really find out what happened. The moment I really found out what happened was that same night a telephone call was made to one of the secretaries on the floor that he was placed on.

I would say an anonymous phone call was made. And in that phone call was stated in the conversation with that he was beating. Author was beating. Who was the person that made that phone call? I don't know. From that point on, actually I put pieces together by the bruises from his eyes. It shows all indications that he was beaten, actually beaten to death. Let's stop now. 32. When did you hear that Arthur could die?

I heard he had died. No. What happened was that when Arthur was startled. I heard when he died the late, the early part of that evening, the hospital had called me and asked me to come in. And, as a matter of fact, they asked all the family to come in. And as I arrived at the hospital, he was slowly deteriorating. He hadn't died exactly then, but he was slowly deteriorating. The nurse asked me, did I want you to go in to sing? And I told her, no. I left the hospital and drove back home. The hospital called me within an hour and a half, and pronounced him dead.

About 12, but afternoon. Okay. Now, jump ahead just a little bit to the fuel. Your baby is dead. The man you told me earlier that you cherish, that you don't want to know about that. How did you feel? Describe and paint a picture for me through your eyes. Once I've actually heard the actual word that he was dead and gone forever, my heart was broken, torn apart. The only love, the first love, is gone. No more, no return, forever. It's a way from home.

Are you mad? A bit hostile, because the truth was not about his death. Describe the feelings for me. His family said, the funeral is quite sad. To walk behind someone you really, deeply love to sit and face someone you really deeply cherish and spend moments and days of time with. It's just like saying, everything in all and all is out of me. All right.

How did you feel about when the man we're acquitted and the riot went down? What did you feel when they were acquitted and the riot happened? When the policemen were all acquitted, I felt barely, they were unjust. No one served time. No one was charged. It's just truly and fairly. It was just unjust and just feeling. What about the riots? During the time of the riot, well, I was just arriving back from the trial, which was held in Tampa. I felt a little disappointed.

No need to. But who are they to control someone else's feelings? How would you like the world to remember Arthur McDuffy? Tell me, you loved him. The world I like for the world to remember him as the one and only, lovable, Arthur McDuffy. Okay, let's talk now.