Why Stand Up?

By Gwendolyn G. Smith

Why Stand Up? describes the ordeal of a community leader, pastor, teacher, Frank Smith, for his activities during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s. Frank Smith was threatened with death, and the bombing of his home as well as the church he pastored. He was fired from his teaching position and the family’s residential mailbox was shot. After fifteen years of persistence and acts of courage, he was reinstated to his teaching position with back pay.
He noted that his grandfather and great grandfather were faced with dilemmas of their day. They had to decide weather to stand. Their decision was a legacy left for guidance and inspiration.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gatekeeper Press
• Release date: Aug 22, 2022
• ISBN: 9781662920127

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The views and opinions expressed in this book are solely those of the author and do not reflect the views or opinions of Gatekeeper Press. Gatekeeper Press is not to be held responsible for and expressly disclaims responsibility of the content herein.

Why Stand Up?

Published by Gatekeeper Press

2167 Stringtown Rd, Suite 109

Columbus, OH 43123-2989

www.GatekeeperPress.com

Copyright © 2022 by Gwendolyn G. Smith

All rights reserved. Neither this book, nor any parts within it may be sold or reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Copyright for cover images:

iStockphoto.com/zmitrock87 (autumn forest landscape)

iStockphoto.com/ablokhin (Alabama welcome sign)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021949614

ISBN (paperback): 9781662920110

eISBN: 9781662920127

Dedicated

To all who Stand Up

against injustice.

CONTENTS

Foreword

1 >> The Heritage

2 >> The Road Begins

3 >> ’Buked and Scorned

4 >> The Truth Is Told

5 >> Court Journey

6 >> Social Action

7 >> Relationships

Final Reflections

Appendix I: The Account of Mrs. Etta Pearl Smith

Appendix II: Statement of the Court Case

Appendix III: Justice Delayed

Appendix IV: A Letter to the President

About the Author

"Over a long, rough,

and rugged road,

the big potatoes will come to the top

and the little potatoes will

go to the bottom."

FOREWORD

IT HAS ALWAYS fascinated me how family values are transmitted from one generation to the next. In some families, values are passed on in an informal manner. Children learn about their heritage simply by participating in family routines. Under such conditions, the sharing of information becomes largely a hit-or-miss proposition, depending on what the children absorb and how, if at all, they reflect on it.

In other families, there is a greater emphasis on handing down traditions and heritage. For example, in my family, philosophical ideas, values, family and world history, world views, and ambition were regularly discussed in two primary places: in the cornfield and in front of the living room fireplace.

The children in my family were always taught that this world belongs to the educated and that it takes knowledge to make a meaningful contribution to civilization. We learned that, with knowledge, we could be among the decision-makers who formulate the policies that can profoundly affect the course of the world. We also learned that as mighty as knowledge can be, its benefits can be increased significantly when it is shared with others. This is part of the responsibility that comes with knowledge. When kept hidden and secret, knowledge can profit only a few; when put to work for the people, it can change history.

Just as important as formal education was common sense, of which we experienced a healthy dose through everyday expressions that contributed so much to the identity of our family.

"Mama may have, Pappa may have,

But God bless the child that’s got his own."

—Lyrics by Billie Holiday and Arthur Herzog, Jr.

An empty wagon makes a lot of noise.

"If you fool around and try to run from death,

you’ll kill yourself."

During the spring and summer, the cornfield became the most important place for learning. Philosophical ideas, values, history and its relationship to current events, and ambition were transmitted on the fields through discussions, the telling of stories, and the singing of songs. How I remember some of those songs:

"Little David, play on your harp,

Hallelujah, hallelujah.

Little David, play on your harp,

Hallelujah."

And,

"Wake up, Jacob, and blow your horn,

The white folks got your wife and gone.

Go down, Jacob, like a hundred and ten;

Go down, Jacob, like an old black hen."

We worked hard, but sharing our thoughts made the days pass swiftly. It helped to build a sense of belonging and identity, and it conjured hopeful visions of a future in which justice prevailed.

The great fireplace in the living room was the center of family activity through the fall and winter months. Back then, in the 1950s, the television era was just beginning, and families spent more time together. In the evening, after all the chores were done, everyone in our house would relax around the fireplace.

My father, Frank Smith, would take one of those empty fifty-pound cans we bought lard in, turn it upside down, and rhythmically rap out a beat as he told stories. He would tell us about Bro Rabbit and the briar patch and how Bro Guinea tricked Bro Rabbit into having his head chopped off to keep his wife company when he was not home. Eventually, as the night went on, everyone would join in singing the family’s favorite songs.

When school was in session, much of our homework was done before the fireplace, and it was there that we learned why more was expected of us in the classroom than other children. While we were told that we were no better than others, we were also told that we had a greater responsibility to the world because we had an encyclopedia at home as well as access to other sources of information.

Sometimes