The story of integration of Morganton City Schools

Describing the 1960s to a person not old enough to remember that turbulent decade can be a difficult task.

How to capture the rising tide of hope which was the civil rights movement, but also to remember the forces of prejudice, hatred, and ignorance which fought bitterly to stem that tide?

 Yet “Meet the Mothers,” a special presentation of the Christian Education Department of Slades Chapel AME Zion Church, managed to bring to life the spirit of those years by telling the story of seven women who banded together to work for peaceful integration of the Morganton City Schools.

 A packed house of more than 200 people at Morganton’s First United Methodist Church enjoyed “Meet the Mothers” on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 11 – and experienced the women’s stories through song, through dance, and through powerful personal narratives.

“I knew that Slades Chapel had never properly celebrated these women,” said Rosetta Ferguson, the primary organizer of the event. “But God gave me a vision. God said to me, ‘Let it be known as Meet the Mothers.’”

 Ferguson and others conceived the idea of having daughters of the seven mothers, all of whom are deceased, take on the persona of their mothers and tell their stories in the most personal way possible.

 As Ferguson and other speakers noted, the seven mothers – Mildred Hattie Cleo O’Neil Largent, Laura Edmonson Thomas, Ruth Allen Clark Forney, Willette Peterson Chambers, Rosa Lee Largent Ferguson Johnson, Annie J. Avery Hicks, and Lucille Lytle Johnson Rutherford – worked first to get the city school system to provide bus transportation for their children and then turned their focus to peaceful integration of the system as the mid-60s neared.

 The Rev. James Hunt Jr., spoke of the role played by the seven mothers and by his father, the Rev. James Hunt Sr., who was pastor of Slades Chapel during the early 1960s.

 Hunt recalled the night that his father received a telephone threat saying that the Ku Klux Klan was on its way to bomb the church parsonage. “I never saw so many guns in a church parsonage in all my life,” he said of the church members who came to protect his father.

Of his father’s philosophy on integration, Hunt said, “He was a man of peace. He didn’t want just some people to have life abundant. He wanted everyone to have life abundant.”

 With that background, here are the Seven Mothers and key quotes from their stories:

 Mildred Largent

Mrs. Largent, portrayed by her daughter, Sandra Bristol, was known as “The Visionary Leader.”

 “We had a vision. A divine purpose. A vision of convincing the people of Morganton that we had to end segregation in our schools. We were well organized. We knew the challenges. We faced death threats. But it was worth it to ensure the lasting freedom of our children.”

 “We taught our children to stand up for themselves, to not show fear. We modeled the behavior they should show. We were united."

Laura Thomas

Mrs. Thomas, portrayed by her daughter, Belinda Vinson, was known as “The Persistent One.”

 “I grew up with brothers, so I learned to be tough. I taught my children to respect their elders and to treat everyone right. When we started this effort, I taught them not to talk back and not to fight. If someone did or said something to them, they were to tell their teachers and to tell me.”

 “I went to that school any number of times. I was proud of my children and I strove to protect them. The integration of our schools was the first step in a positive direction.”

Ruth Forney

Mrs. Forney, portrayed by her daughter, the Rev. Dr. Charlene Hemphill, was known as “The Prayer Warrior.”

 “I was a prayer warrior, a prayer warrior for education. Our children were frightened. I prayed for those children. I knew that our children were just as good, just as sweet, as any other children in the world.”

 “I told them over and over again. Don’t quit. Don’t give up.”

 Willette Chambers

Mrs. Chambers, portrayed by her daughter, Anna Dula, was known as “Ms. Lady Loveable.”

“My children were walking all the way from West Concord Street to Mountain View Elementary School on Bouchelle just to go to school. I heard about the mothers at Slades Chapel and I decided to join them. I prayed. I talked to God. And I asked for guidance.

 “Those were tough times. Dangerous times. But I was proud of my children and I knew that God would open doors for them.”

 Rose Lee Johnson

Mrs. Johnson, portrayed by her granddaughter, Sarnya Ervin, was known as a woman who was “Adamant about Excellence.”

“I saw my children having to walk a total of five miles each day, just to go to school. And on winter mornings, it was so very cold. I was adamant that change had to be made. So I joined the mothers.”

 “I was proud of my children. And I knew that my children deserved the right to excellence. I am so happy for my children. I am so happy for all the children.”

Annie J. Hicks

 Mrs. Hicks, portrayed by her daughter, Georgia Hicks, was known as “The Resilient One.”

 “Whatever I did, I did it for my children’s sake. We didn’t have much of nothing, but we knew what we wanted for our children. A lot of children did not want to go to the white schools. But we taught them that change was coming and they were going to be a part of it.”

“But at the end of the day, we survived and we won!”

Lucille Rutherford

Mrs. Rutherford, portrayed by her daughter, Christoble Ferguson, was known as “A Warrior for Equality.”

 “When the school board denied us the basic right of transportation, we had to show them that we meant business. I became a warrior for equality. I wanted my children to get an education, a quality education.”

 “I told my children to excel at everything they did. To be on that honor roll. To stand proud.”

 After “the seven mothers” had told their stories, the performance narrator, Artie Logan, noted that, “Morganton tried to delay and to derail integration of the schools for as long as possible. But in the end, they gave way to positive change.”

 Later she concluded, “We acknowledge tonight the work of these mothers and others like them, but don’t forget the men of the community played a role also. Often they had to work quietly, for fear of losing their jobs.”

 Bill Poteat, who was in the fifth grade when integration came to the Burke County Public Schools in 1965, is editor of The Paper. He may be reached at 828-445-8595, ext. 2004, or at bill@thepaper.media.