Plight Of Alabama, USA

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Pittsburgh Courier

Publication Place

Pittsburgh, PA

Publication Date

05/12/1967

Transcript

Thirteen years after May 17,, 1954, the NAACP Legal Defense, and Educational Fund, Inc. tells, what was going on in Wetumpka,, Alabama. The Fund reports a horrible story, and at the same time, it reveals a heroism that few people have., Down in Wetumpka, Ala., The NAACP, Legal Defense & Educational Fund, tells of 19-, year-old Jim., my L. Williams, Negro, paratrooper killed in action with, the Army's Green Berets but no, local cemetery could be found for, his burial., The Fund tells the story of, James Earl Motley, a Negro labor., er. who was beaten to death in his, cell because he argued with the, deputy sheriff. In 1965 three sisters and brothers of Jimmy Williams enrolled in a previously all, white school. The next year Jimmy, Williams died in Viet Nam. Two, more who enrolled in the white, school of this Alabama town were, wo daughters of Mr. and Mrs., Roosevelt Bracy, farmers., Debra M. Bracy expects to graduate from the Wetumpka high, school this year despite the terrible, difficulties she has had since entering that school. Debra reports that, she has been bothered by white children shooting rubber wads at her, from the moment she entered the, school. Debra could never find out, who was doing this to her, but her, sister Sophia saw it and told her. When she discovered the boy who, was doing it she hit him in the back, with a pencil. For this the superintendent and the Board of Education, lawyers questioned Debra. They, wanted to know if she was paid to, hit the boy or was paid to come to, the white school. She was sus-, pended and later jailed. She was, kept suspended from school until, Christmas vacation., Thirty-six hours before Debra's, scheduled return to high school, the, Bracy's 6 room house was bombed., The NAACP Legal Defense and, Educational Fund quotes Mrs. Bracy:, "It was a year ago the first, of January. The children had, come in from an Emancipation, meeting where they had to sing., They hadn't eaten their black., eyed peas that day, so they ate., Well, they got in the bed and a, few minutes later we heard, something come roaring in. We, jumped to our feet and ran to, the dining room. The window, was filled with flames, flames, catching everything. I got the, children out. Debra was the, bravest of all. All we could save, was one mattress, a sewing ma., chine, a washing machine that, was out on the back porch and a, dresser. It had two Bibles on, it.", The Bracy's now live in a two, room shack on a farm outside Wetumpka. If Debra finishes that, high school in June she deserves, honor and praise. This is a part of, Lurleen Wallace's Alabama. These, are some of the reasons the, NAACP and the NAACP Legal, Defense and Educational Fund, deserve our support.

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