Memories of Coretta

Rebirth of a Realist

I was exhusted and pretty much burned out. It was just a day or two before the
Mississippi March reached Jackson. Big Leon(We knew few surnames. There was big Leon and Little Leon) came to me and asked me if I wanted to baby sit for Doctor King's kids. I remember wondering what the hell the kids were doing in Mississippi at that time.
WE met at a Motel room and Coretta was her usual regal self. We were all in awe of her. Her husband was our leader and one of us, but she was above us. There were times when we worried about our own lives, butCoretta worried about her husband and her family every day.
It was many years ago, but I remember it very clearly. I remember looking at the children in their beds and asking Leon what kind of a world will they live in. "A much better one He answered.
"Do you think we are making real progress," I asked. "Of course," he said. "If I didn"t I wouldn't be risking my life in Mississippi. "
"Why do you think she brought the kids down here?"
"I know her. She is a mother and a family person. She has no idea what tomorrow will bring and she wants her husband to spend time with the kids."
Leon was much younger than I and still carried that beautiful youthful optimism.
As I said, I was burned out and depressed. We had taken a beating in Canton Mississippi and nothing seemed the same after that. I felt the non violent movement was dead and from here on in it was politics, hate and violence.
That was a memorable night for me. I kept looking at the kids and remembering myself when I was fifteen and asking my father, "why do the German People let Hitler do those things?" His answer was always the same."Fear"
He tried to explain about Rosa Luxenberg, the Communist who was shot by Nazi thugs. He told me that the Communist party was almost the dominant party in Germany at the time. They thought they would be winners, but when they shot her others became frightened." I was too young to understand. School and football were the center of my thoughts then.
When I got older and studied such things I wondered how my father knew what so few Americans knew.
He told me about the atmosphere then and that in 1922 and 1923 it was the fear of socialism
that promted americans like Prescot Bush(Grandfather of G.W. Bush) to support and to help create Hitler.
Under the Trading with the Enemy Act, the government took over the Union Banking Corporation, in which Bush was a director. The U.S. Alien Property Custodian seized Union Banking Corp.'s stock shares, all of which were owned by Prescott Bush, E. Roland `` Bunny '' Harriman, three Nazi executives, and two other associates of Bush. Yes, the Bush family helped create Hitler.
I remember a moment in that Mississippi motel when looking at the King Children I was overcome with emotion. How can we beat the secret Governments today? Are we risking our lives and marching around while those in the secret Governments are laughing at us?

I watched Coretta's funeral this week and remembering that night in the motel, I got all choked up. The March was so long ago and I just made a talk titled, "Did We Win, and if so what did we win? I pointed out that schools in the north are much more segregated than they were then. The drop out rate is greater than it was then. The income gap is worse than it was then. The fear in the suburbs is worse than it was then. Leaderless Minority kids are shooting each other in the streets. Whites are afraid to drive into town.
Did Coretta know that? Did she die knowing that and wondering what her husband would think about all his efforts and what would he do and say now?