Local youth at Pleasant Valley Baptist Church in Clarksdale helped recognize black leaders in the community and demonstrated the struggle many went through in the fight for equal rights decades ago.
“Recognizing Black Heroes in Clarksdale” was the theme of the program at the church Sunday, Feb. 16 as part of Black History Month.
The youth performed a skit, “Move to the Back, Rosa” that told the story of Rosa Parks rejecting bus driver James F. Blake's order to relinquish her seat in the "colored section" to a white passenger, after the whites-only section was filled on Dec. 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Ala. That spearheaded the effort to eventually integrate the buses.
“OK, everybody, put your seatbelts on,” said Ashanti Winters, who played the bus driver. “We’re heading to Oakhurst Street.”
Oakhurst Avenue is a street in Clarksdale and the name was used for the skit.
“No, I’m not moving at all,” said Amariya Nelson, who played Parks, in response.
“Look, Rosa, we don’t want any trouble,” replied one of the passengers. “Now, you know she said Oakhurst. That means that’s the area where all white people are supposed to be sitting in the front. So that means you need to move to the back.”
“Black and white people should be able to sit wherever they want and I’m still sitting here,” said Nelson as Parks standing her ground.
After the completion of the exchange, Arielle Winters, who played the police officer handcuffed the Parks character as the other passengers on the bus cheered, “Equal rights, that’s not fair.”
April Moore, Pleasant Valley Baptist Church youth coordinator, reminded the church Dr. Martin Luther King, Harriet Tubman, who helped free slaves through the Underground Railroad, and other black leaders are recognized regularly, but local heroes go unnoticed.
“We have some black heroes right here in our community and no one really takes the timeout to think about them unless they want something or need something and that’s not fair,” Moore said.
Moore and the youth at the church compiled a list of local African-American heroes.
She said Henry Espy was the first appointed African-American member of the Clarksdale Municipal School District board, city commissioner and mayor. Henry’s son, Chuck Espy, was acknowledged for being in the state legislature and the current mayor.
Vera Piggee, who served as branch secretary to Coahoma County chapter of NAACP and helped organize chapter with Civil Rights leader Aaron E. Henry, was mentioned. Police chief Sandra Williams, the first female African-American in her position, was acknowledged.
Moore said Donell Harrell was the first African-American superintendent of the CMSD and his granddaughter, Dr. Toya Harrell-Matthews, is now the assistant superintendent continuing his legacy.
Chuck Espy and Williams received certificates of achievement.
Chuck Espy spoke to the children about how racism in 2020 is different than the 1950s. He said, now, the battle is about economic destruction in the black community. He added the housing opportunities are not the same as people are buying homes on different parts of town based on race.
“You’ve got to be really careful as you see it,” Chuck Espy said. “There are a lot of things going around on social media right now and I was just privy to see a video. Listen, you be careful where you spend your money.”
He encouraged everyone to do their research and be careful where they eat.
“Where you spend your money counts,” Chuck Espy said. “If anybody that can receive your money, but talk down to our people at the same time are not worthy of our money.”
Williams said she will have served 29 years in law enforcement as of July 31 and every police officer strives to be a chief.
“I was passed over as being police chief two different times in Vicksburg, Miss.,” she said. “And I thought, ‘OK, if one door closes, if two doors close, then try another door.’ And so I put in an application with three different agencies – two in Mississippi and one in Texas. I said the first person that gives me an opportunity, the first city that gives me an opportunity, regardless to where it’s at, then that’s where I will be the best police chief that I know how to be.”
Williams said Chuck Espy rolled the dice to get a black female police chief.
