Voices of the Montgomery Bus Boycott: How individuals contributed to a social movement
Melissa Brown
"No one person starts, let alone sustains, a movement. A movement is only made possible when there is a collective vision, mission, strategy, working hands, walking feet, listening ears and resources. A movement is not spontaneous; it is a cumulative set of human circumstances over a period of time when a critical mass of people in one accord say, 'enough is enough,' and we are not going to take disrespect anymore."
Gwen Patton wrote these words about the Montgomery Bus Boycott in a 2015 letter to the editor in the Montgomery Advertiser. Patton, a lifelong activist and trailblazer in her own right, was one of thousands of Montgomery residents who organized and sacrificed for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which officially began on this day in 1955.
Prominent leaders of the movement — Rosa Parks, E.D. Nixon, Martin Luther King Jr. — are remembered in history books today. But dozens of small, crucial steps were taken daily by lesser known Alabamians fighting for equality in Montgomery public transit practices and beyond.
Women's political groups wrote and published informational materials.
Church organists entertained the masses before organizational meetings.
An elevator operator opened the doors to his brand new, 1955 Ford to drive boycott participants to and from work.
In 2005, the Montgomery Advertiser released a series of interviews and stories to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which officially began on Dec. 5, 1955. The following stories originally ran as a part of that series.
Thelma Glass, an Alabama State University professor, worked with the Women’s Political Council to rectify the mistreatment of black people who rode the city’s buses and sought change for those who were unjustly interrogated when they tried to vote.
After Rosa Parks’ arrest and the beginning of the boycott, Montgomery Advertiser typist Inez Baskin was surprised to be asked to cover the boycott for Jet Magazine and the American Negro Press (ANP), a company that delivered news to black communities nationwide.
More:Inez Baskin, a black female journalist, broke barriers reporting on Montgomery Bus Boycott
Aurelia Shines Browder Coleman was the lead plaintiff in the lawsuit that went all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court and squashed segregation in public transportation in America. Her story finds its humble roots right here in Montgomery.
Read Coleman's story, told by her son, here.
Samuel Gadson, an elevator operator at Montgomery Fair, endured harassment, abuse and arrest for using his car to drive boycott participants to and from work.
“It was the best way I could contribute,” Gadson said “I wanted to contribute something to make it better for the young people behind me.”
Urelee Gordon frequently served Martin Luther King, Jr. at his shoe shine business downtown. Gordon suspects those shoes he shined for King covered many miles, and he heard once that King had preached about him in church, about the common man who deserved dignity and respect in an integrated world.
More:Hall Street shoe shiner had front row seat to Montgomery Bus Boycott leaders
When the protests heated up, Advertiser reporter Bob Ingram was assigned to cover some of the mass meetings, as they were called, at black churches in Montgomery. It was there that he had a chance to hear King’s call for nonviolent demonstrations in the city.
More:'None of us knew where it was going to lead': Reporter recalls early days of bus boycott
Gwen Patton was just a girl when she put her hands and mind to work for a cause that lost lives.
“Three hundred and eighty-one days, people walked, walked with joy,” Patton said. “Over our heads, we saw freedom in the air.”
More:Voices of the Montgomery Busy Boycott: A 12-year-old who did her part
After fighting for her own voter registration years earlier, participating in the bus boycott was an inevitability for Idessa Redden. After witnessing King's fiery speech at Holt Street Baptist Church, Redden began driving dozens of boycotters a day who needed help getting around the city.
More:Montgomery woman drove dozens a day during bus boycott
When John F. Sawyer Jr. left the Navy, he returned to a still-segregated Montgomery. Though his father, a postal carrier, was required to ride the bus to complete his job, Sawyer Jr. chose to participate and walked to Alabama State University every day.
More:When Navy veteran returned to segregated Montgomery, he chose to support bus boycott
In Montgomery, decades of cruel treatment helped to prepare black residents to create change. But participants in the boycott were not swayed by police harassment, said Donnie Williams, who strong faith informed his participation.
More:Decades of cruel treatment prepared the black community to create change, pastor said
After years of mistreatment on city buses, Lillie Mae Bradford had had enough in May 1951. Four years before the Montgomery bus boycott would officially begin, the 23-year-old custodian stood up to a bus driver who had incorrectly charged her for a fare. She was arrested for disorderly conduct.
More:Four years before the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Lillie Mae Bradford defended her rights