[AGL] Theater stand-ins in Austin 1961 or so

[michele mason]

I did, but they were also the salt of the earth, country people. Some  
made it clear without actually saying anything direct, accept the "n"  
word and there wasn't hatred behind it, but the belief that people  
were not to mix. There were one, or two who were "trash", who might  
have threatened me, had I not been at a family gathering, or in the  
churchyard. As far as the word goes, it was just a word they had  
always heard. Its hard to explain to anyone, but a Southerner. They  
did believe whites better in some ways, but if a black farmer were a  
neighbor and needed help with his animals, had a broken pump, or  
whatever,  he knew he could ask most of my uncles for help and get  
it. If an emergency, my uncles would shut down the tractor, or stop  
right then, "holler" to my aunt, where he was going, and be there  
until it was fixed. My mother was born small and survived because a  
black woman lived down the road with her own new born and nursed my  
mother. I was never told her name, nor ever met her. If not for her,  
I would not be sitting here. The tangles of our relationships  
involved respect, honor, and ignorance and much much more often than  
not, they were not a simple matter. So maybe rabid doesn't describe  
them. But, when I had  my first mixed son, my father paid off my car,  
sent me the pink slip and told me I was dead, never to  set foot on  
his property again. Even though he loved me as he was dying, he never  
gave me another penny, nor called his grandsons by name. He cheated  
himself. Ok, I'm almost, finally, too tired to  assault you further  
with my memoir.  Kathy, that was family, others have done terrible  
things. One racist man just in the last 4 years, attacked my family  
and it cost every penny I had to save us. I want justice and peace.  
It feels like "soul-killing" to me right now, but I am hanging on by  
faith. There was and still is killing, but I don't think they got as  
many souls as bodies.
What you did was just as important because you could and you did and  
thats what each person who will, does. Look what Jim innocently writ  
into. Sorry Jim, I wasn't a standin, just a butt-in.
Bye guys, later

On Jul 17, 2010, at 1:57 PM, Kathy wrote:


>  In the beginning Chipotle was  a McDonald's non core business.

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chipotle_Mexican_Grill.

>

> Sounds like it's a place you should go with a friend to share a  

> burrito- $4 each is a purty good deal.

>

> K

>

>  Thank each one of you for your stand ups and sit downs on behalf  

> of  integration, and all of humanity. I never lived where any of  

> that existed and am still shocked by the awful reality. By the time  

> I came to Texas in 1964 much was improved and  picketing Roys  

> Lounge and going around East Austin telling people the pole tax was  

> abolished and giving them forms to register to vote, was all I  

> could do. The soul-killing reality of before  did not really sink in.

>

> I am more recently shocked  by the persistence of racism. Do any of  

> you have relatives who are rabidly racist? What do you do at family  

> reunions?

>

> On Jul 17, 2010, at 12:40 PM, Frances Morey wrote:

>

>> Yes, I remember that. But I disagree that Chipotle is an  

>> improvement. They insist on selling you a pound of food for about  

>> $8, sorta like Whole Foods. Except unlike WF you are not allowed  

>> to buy any less than that. It is at least twice as much as the  

>> average person needs.

>> Best,

>> Frances

>>

>> From: Michael Eisenstadt <mike.eisenstadt at gmail.com>

>> To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s  

>> <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

>> Sent: Sat, July 17, 2010 11:51:19 AM

>> Subject: Re: [AGL] Theater stand-ins in Austin 1961 or so

>>

>> What was the name of the cafeteria on Congress & 9th

>> (where Chipotle is now)? It was a chain headquartered

>> in Louisiana and was segrated until the Civil Rights act

>> was passed. I don't remember it being picketed but maybe

>> it was.

>>

>> ----- Original Message -----

>> From: "Fontaine Maverick" <fontainem at att.net>

>> To: "Frances Morey" <frances_morey at yahoo.com>; "survivors'  

>> reminiscences

>> about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s" <austin-ghetto- 

>> list at pairlist.net>

>> Sent: Saturday, July 17, 2010 8:34 AM

>> Subject: Re: [AGL] Theater stand-ins in Austin 1961 or so

>>

>>

>> > This is interesting. I hadn't remembered that about the Night  

>> Hawk. In the

>> sixth

>> > grade (58?), I went to Woolworth's for grilled cheese before the  

>> movie at

>> the

>> > Paramount or State & didn't even notice that neither was  

>> integrated. As a

>> 12

>> > year old from San Antonio, I was blissfully unaware of the  

>> "colored only"

>> > restrooms on the outskirts of Austin. Took a greyhound down to  

>> Lockhart to

>> see

>> > my recently transplanted best friend and was shocked to see one  

>> as I gazed

>> out

>> > of the bus. Woke me the hell up. It wasn't much later that my  

>> mom started

>> taking

>> > me to the Varsity stand-ins.

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> > ________________________________

>> > From: Frances Morey <Frances_Morey at yahoo.com>

>> > To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s

>> > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

>> > Sent: Sat, July 17, 2010 12:36:59 AM

>> > Subject: Re: [AGL] Theater stand-ins in Austin 1961 or so

>> >

>> >

>> > Harry Akins as mayor had a meeting with the other restaurant  

>> owners and

>> told

>> > them that if they all integrate their facilities at the same  

>> time then

>> there

>> > would be no grounds for singling out any one of them to effectively

>> boycott over

>> > the issue. They saw the logic of that and the public accommodations

>> ordinance

>> > passed and the restaurants were integrated overnight. That's the  

>> story I

>> > remember.

>> > Best,

>> > Frances

>> >

>> >

>> >

>> > ________________________________

>> > From: Michael Eisenstadt <mike.eisenstadt at gmail.com>

>> > To: survivors' reminiscences about Austin Ghetto Daze in the 60s

>> > <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

>> > Sent: Fri, July 16, 2010 4:27:06 PM

>> > Subject: Re: [AGL] Theater stand-ins in Austin 1961 or so

>> >

>> > I arrived in Austin only in 1963. I do remember participating in

>> > a protest at a gas station on the drag which did not serve

>> > African-Americans. At that time Harry Akins' Night Hawk

>> > restaurants were the ONLY integrated restaurants. The

>> > next year, spring 1964, the City Council considered but

>> > did not pass an equal access ordinance. Their excuse was

>> > that Congress was working on Civil Rights laws which indeed

>> > were passed that year, forced through Congress by then

>> > Pres. LBJ.

>> >

>> > Mike eisenstadt

>> >

>> > ----- Original Message -----

>> > From: "Jim McCulloch" <mcculloch at mail.utexas.edu>

>> > To: <austin-ghetto-list at pairlist.net>

>> > Sent: Thursday, July 15, 2010 10:39 PM

>> > Subject: [AGL] Theater stand-ins in Austin 1961 or  so

>> >

>> >

>> > > Chandler Davidson is arranging a reunion in December of people  

>> who

>> > > participated in the standins.  Some members of the list may have

>> > > participated, and if Chandler has not  contacted you and you  

>> would be

>> > > interested in such a reunion, you can reach Chandler at  

>> fcd at rice.edu

>> > >

>> > > As I understand it, the reunion would be in Austin.

>> > >

>> > > --Jim McCulloch

>>

>>

>>

>


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://www.pairlist.net/pipermail/austin-ghetto-list/attachments/20100717/7c4fe576/attachment-0001.html>