While we're meditating on the relevance of this thread, here's another story from another time when things were more difficult than they may be today for African Americans. It's based on my family's experience in the World War 2 period and we had a family friend read it at my Father's memorial service:

Jabo

Sometimes appealing to someone in higher authority works if you can figure out the way to get access, if you're persistent, and if they're inclined to listen. I'm thinking back to one of my Father's stories which goes back to the issues of racism and social justice within our armed forces during WW II.

One of our summer neighbors in Maine employed Willie Paul Campbell, a Black man nicknamed "Jabo," as a chauffeur and handyman. When Jabo was drafted into the army, after basic training, he was assigned for further training as a cook. All the cook trainees were Black and during the training there was a special event at the base and the Black trainees were not invited and they were not pleased. Well, I'm not sure what went on between the trainees at that point, but later that night Jabo and his brothers broke into the armory, armed themselves with rifles and forced their way into the party. No one was seriously injured but when the military police were called in, all the Blacks were hauled off to the brig and subsequently tried for mutiny. Jabo was identified as a ringleader and perhaps he was. He did stand over 6 feet tall and weighed over 250 pounds, and certainly cut an imposing figure. It's also rumored that the principal person who testified against him owed him money from gambling. Jabo was convicted of leading the muntiny and sentenced to be shot. Our family finally got news of this from Jabo's former employers by phone one evening and Father began to consider if there was anything he could do to help. Now Father at that point was a dairy farmer, not exactly one of the political or economic elite of this country. However, he had been a teacher in the 1930's at an experimental progressive school in West Virginia, known as the Arthurdale Project, set up by Eleanor Roosevelt and some of her friends for unemployed coal miners. Father drafted a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt, asking her to personally look into the facts of this case. He was disappointed to receive in a couple of weeks a form response with no indication that they had even met. He decided to send a longer letter and this time received a handwritten letter from Eleanor with an apology and assurance that the incident would be looked into. She did follow through with her investigation and Jabo was cleared of the most serious charges but was dishonorably discharged from the army. However, at that point he was a very happy man! Father was very pleased too. I have fond memories of listening to Jabo's stories when he'd come up every year with our summer neighbors but I never heard this story till years later.

Cheerily,
Charley Noble