[file folder] ROSA PARKS Box 19 Folder 9 Events Featuring or honoring Parks 1980-1983 God Our Father Christ Our Redeemer Man Our Brother Richard Allen Founder of THE AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH PHILADELPHIA - 1787 MOTHER BETHEL JULIA McKENZIE Founder of NEW ST. JAMES AFRICAN METHODIST EPISCOPAL CHURCH Detroit - 1962 1. Lift ev-'ry voice and sing, till earth and heav-en ring, Ring with the New St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church [image of branches] I AM THE VINE ... YOU ARE THE BRANCHES 9321 ROSA PARKS BOULEVARD DETROIT, MICHIGAN 48206 CHURCH PHONE 867 - 2851 FEBRUARY 10, 1980 - ALLEN DAY - - EIGHTEENTH CHURCH ANNIVERSARY - - BLACK HISTORY WEEK - RT. REV. HUBERT NELSON ROBINSON, D.D., Presiding Bishop REV. MARTIN LUTHER SIMMONS,B.S.,B.D. Presiding Elder REV. WALKER L. COLLINS, Pastor 3720 So. Annabelle Detroit, MI 48217 Ms. Shirley Matthews, Organist ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ OUR SANCTUARY .. is located in the Southwestern Shadow of the proposed Rose L. Parks Shrine [* - 2 - *] [image of church in background of text] CHURCH HISTORY The New St. James African Methodist Episcopal Church was founded February 11, 1962 at 9118 12th Street by Rev. Julia McKenzie with no members. In September of the same year she took the Mission into the Annual Conference with ten members. Rev. McKenzie pastored the Mission until the Annual Conference convened in August 1963 where she asked to be superanuated. Rev. S. Paul Johnson was sent to pastor the Mission in September 1963. Seven members were added and he served until his death. Rev. Walker L. Collins was assigned in 1964 and served until 1969. Under Rev. Collins dedicated leadership 11 members were added. Rev. Robert L. Nichols became our pastor in September 1969. The Church was moved to Woodrow Wilson until the acquisition of the present structure at 9321 Rosa Parks Boulevard. The building was purchased by Rev. Nichols and 15 members from Hope United Presbyterian Church. Pastor Nichols became ill and requested retirement in September 1972. Rev. Robert W. Hoover, Jr. was assigned in October 1972 and served as our leader for two years. The Church was dedicated by Bishop Primm in 1974. In September 1974 Rev. Edward Rountree was selected to pastor and served until the Conference convened in 1977 when he requested retirement due to ill health. The Church interior was decorated and aisle areas were carpeted during the tenure of Pastor Rountree. Rev. Walker L. Collins was reassigned to pastor New St. James and is presently serving as our leader. We are experiencing a rejuvenation of Spirit and a renewed dedication "that no task is unsurmountable to our few in number" OUR PRAYER...May God, bestow His Richest Blessings and everlasting Love on everyone of you. WE HAVE COME THIS FAR BY FAITH RICHARD ALLEN Know Your Church By ANDREW WHITE Richard Allen was a man of sublime courage and indestructible and passionate faith. Equipped with these two spiritual weapons he could not be beaten down. When he and others of African descent were denied the freedom to worship God in the St. George's M. E. Church in Philadelphia, Pa. in 1787, he politely walked out into God's great big world and started the movement which blossomed into the African Methodist Episcopal Church. Richard Allen was not mastered by the disappointing and ugly experiences which confronted him; instead he mastered these experiences by taking a healthy attitude toward life. He refused to adopt a sour-grape philosophy and instead adopted a courageous and positive faith-filled attitude toward the problems which the people of African descent faced. He did not boil up; he did not blow off; he did not fret himself because of the evil doers. He did not feel sorry for himself. He did not be- come impatient or irritable. He kept his balance and his self-control. He did not go into a slump. He made up his mind to do something about what had happened to him and his people by going out immediately and starting something new--a move- ment administered by people of African descent, which movement would recognize "God as our Father, Christ as our Redeemer, and Man as our Brother". Richard Allen felt that he had a special duty to spread the gospel among Africans and people of African descent. These were the people who, because of segregation and discrimination in church and state, were being dehumanized, ostracized, exploited, robbed, by-passed and otherwise mistreated. They needed to be organized and needed to have a Christian guiding principle of action. They needed to be encouraged to see that they too were children of God who had rights and responsibilities. With these high goals and noble purposes in mind, he proceeded to take the ugly social situation which made his movement necessary, and, like Joseph of old, use it as a channel of blessing which stirred up in the Afro-Americans a burning determination to be first class Christians and first class American citizens. The A.M.E. Church has never strayed from the course charted by Richard Allen. The leaders of the church who succeeded him were wedded to the spiritual doctrine of "God Our Father, Christ Our Redeemer, Man Our Brother". Motivated by the far reaching significance of this motto they led our people into fearless battles against the enemies of human dignity and civil liberties. Every A.M.E. Church became a headquarters for the proclamation and the demonstration of first class Christianity and first class American citizenship. In an "Address to the People of Colour" Richard Allen pleaded with those still in slavery not to lose hope, but to trust in God and believe that He will make a way for them. He appealed to them not to hate their masters, but to fill their hearts with love for God. This would enable them to have the spiritual foundation for the freedom in which Allen never lost hope. Allen believed that, as far as the coming of freedom was concerned, much depended on Africans themselves. He advised those who were free not to have ill-will for the treatment they had received as slaves. The energy and time required for ill- will could be most profitably used in the fight for freedom. In concluding this im- mortal address he said, "I entreat you to consider the obligations we lie under to help forward the cause of freedom. We who know how bitter the cup is of which the slave hath to drink, oh, how we ought to feel for those who yet remain in bondage!" [* - 4 - *] JULIA McKENZIE Mrs. Julia McKenzie, the youngest of twelve children was born on October 7, 1889 to the union of Georgiana and Isom Hargrove, in Seals, Alabama. Julia was united in marriage, in 1910, with Mr. Clarence McKenzie in Montgomery, Alabama and to this union six children were born. Mrs. McKenzie accepted Christ at a very early age and she joined the African Methodist Episcopal Church. She united with the St. John A.M.E. Church in Montgomery where she served in many capacities and sang in the Senior Choir until she moved to Detroit, Mich. in 1939. Mrs. McKenzie was ordained by the A.M.E. Zion Church in 1943. Reverend McKenzie founded the New St. James A.M.E. Church on February 11, 1962 at 9118 12th Street with no members. In Sep- tember of the same year she took the Mission into the Annual Con- ference with ten members. Rev. McKenzie pastored the Mission until the Annual Conference convened in August 1963, where she asked to be superannuated. She served faithfully in the A.M.E. Church until failing health slowed her energetic pace. Mrs. Julia McKenzie departed from this life at 9:55 P.M., on Friday, December 15, 1978, in Park Community Hospital. Mrs. Gladys Moorman, daughter of Rev. Julia McKenzie, is a faithful and devoted member of this church. We are pleased to have her with us as a living witness to the spirit and dedication--of a faithful few. "The church can prosper, when ... we discard the selfish cloak of " I ". Julia McKenzie - 1965 [* - 5 - *] THE ORDER OF SERVICE "EIGHTEENTH ANNIVERSARY" February 11, 1962 -- February 11, 1980 PROCESSIONAL ............ "We have Come this Far by Faith DOXOLOGY ......... "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow" CALL TO WORSHIP .................. Mrs. Bobbie Whittaker Minister. I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord, our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. People. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. M. Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good. P. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the courts of our God. M. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house. Lord, I have loved thy habitation, the place where thy honor dwelleth. P. For the Lord is in his holy temple, let all the earth keep silence before him. M. Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer. P. O sing until the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth, sing praises. "LIFT EVERY VOICE AND SING" - (Johnson & Johnson) ...... Audience INVOCATION ........................................... Ms. LaVerne Godson Choral Response "Sweet Hour of Prayer" CHOIR SELECTION......................... RESPONSIVE READING ... Church Anniversary ......... Mr. Roy Gilchrist Leader: Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. People: Lord, I hear my voice: let Thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. Leader: If, thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ? People: But there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared Leader: I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and, in His words do I hope. IN UNISON ... My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning. ____________________________________________________________ ... Let us, in this generation be ever mindful ... the rights and priviledges we enjoy today ... our ancestors made most of the sacrifices, not us. SUNDAY * FEBRUARY 10, 1980 Black History Week - Allen Day HYMN OF PRAISE ....... "From All That Dwell Below the Skies" DECALOGUE.............................................. Rev. Walker L. Collins CHOIR SELECTION RECOGNITION OF VISITORS .................... Mrs. Loretta Cleveland ANNOUNCEMENTS.................................. Mrs. Gladys Moorman MISSION CALL........... OFFERING & TITHES ... "Give as the Lord has prospered you" PRESENTATION OF GIFTS .. Hymn #605 All Things Come of Thee, O Lord READING .................................................. Mrs. Edna Sykes VOCAL SOLO ........................................ Mrs. Rose Germany INTRODUCTION OF GUEST SPEAKER .... Mr. Charles F. Hopkins GUEST SPEAKER Mrs. Rosa Parks "Mother of the Civil Rights Movement" INVITATION TO CHRISTIAN DISCIPLESHIP Hymn of Invitation...... ALTER CALL & PRAYER ...................... REMARKS ................................................ Rev. Walker L. Collins RECESSIONAL .......................................... SILENT PRAYER for the SICK and DISTRESSED BENEDICTION Rev. Eula V. Clayborne (All join hands in the spirit of Christian Fellowship) HISTORICAL NOTES AN HISTORICAL NOTE SARAH ALLEN Richard Allen could not have grown and matured and become the effective leader that he was without the love and concern and help of others. Among those who stood with him all the way, none was more helpful and valuable than Sarah Allen, his beloved wife. Neither the biography of Richard Allen nor the history of the A.M.E. Church can be accurately written without giving a high and noble place of honor to this saintly woman, Sarah Allen. She was born in the Isle of Wight County, Virginia in 1764 and was brought to Philadelphia when she was about eight years of age. Her maiden name was Sarah Bass and she was united in marriage to Richard Allen on August 18, 1801 by Rev. Ezekiel Cooper, pastor of Old St. George Methodist Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, Pa. To this marriage six children were born -- four boys and two girls. Sarah Allen was a noble character in her own rights. The Register Book at Old St. George Church says of her that she "gave all the assistance she could to several families, for which she did not receive anything; and when anything was offered her, she left it to the option of those she served." She was a remarkable wife and devoted mother, and an invaluable help to Richard Allen as he ventured upon the daring task of organizing people of African descent into what has eventually become the A.M.E. Church in particular, and the Negro Church in general. Sarah Allen was the first woman missionary in the A.M.E. Church. Her first missionary project was to look after the physical condition of the preachers whom her husband sent out on the field. Many of them returned in very poor physical condition, and Sarah Allen organized the women of the church to mend their clothes and provide hot nourishing meals when they came to make their reports. In addition to rendering this much needed service in the interest of the preachers, Sarah stood close by the side of her dedicated and consecrated husband, and encouraged him in his fight for complete freedom for his people. She was a true and dependable staff upon whom the Bishop could lean at anytime and feel absolutely secure. Mother Allen, as she is affectionately remembered, was eighty-five years of age when she was called from labor to reward on July 16, 1849. Her name will ever be associated with and endeared by the A.M.E. Church and by the Christian Church as a whole. She will ever remain the true Mother of African Methodism. Gave Names to Churches A.M.E. bishops were the first Negroes after whom churches and educational institutions were named. There are probably 1,000 A.M.E. churches named for Richard Allen, Daniel Payne, Morris Brown, Edward Waters, B. F. Lee, H. M. Turner, Paul Quinn and other bishops. Leaders in Education A.M.E. bishops were the leaders in the struggle to make education available to Negroes. Nearly every A.M.E. Church building, beginning with Mother Bethel in Philadelphia, Pa., founded by Richard Allen, was a school house during week days. The first large school building on any college campus named for a Negro was Shorter Hall at Wilberforce University. The first college named for a Negro was Allen University in Columbia, S.C. The second was Morris Brown in Atlanta, Georgia. The first Negro Ph.D. from Harvard University got his first job in an A.M.E. school, Wilberforce University. His name was W.E.B. DuBois. Bishop Daniel A. Payne almost singlehanded founded Wilberforce University, the first effort of Negros in America in higher education. If A.M.E. bishops had taken their hands off, it is likely that every one of our colleges would have failed because our people had not yet seen the great value of education. The first Negro man elected president of Howard University was a bishop of the A.M.E. Church, Bishop John A. Gregg. He did not accept, for there was no position of influence higher than that of a bishop. "OUR OWN FUTURE POETESS" VOLUME 7 NO. 6 DECEMBER 1979 (ISSN 0091-8660) A JOHNSON PUBLICATION EBONY JR! MY HOUSE My house is very big to me, It has everything I need. From food to plates To cups that break. From sister and brother, To father and mother. From sheets for sleep To money for honey. From cookies and cakes To a stove that bakes. My house is very big to me, Because it has everything I need. by Erica Maria Hopkins, age 9 Detroit, Michigan -8- BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES AARON, HANK 1934 - Major League Baseball Player ABERNATHY, RALPH 1926 - Founded Montgomery Improvement Association. Successor to Martin L. King as head of Southern Christian Leadership Council. ADDERLY, JULIAN "CANNONBALL" 1928 - 1975 Musician, band leader AILEY, ALVIN 1931 - Artistic Director, choreographer, actor. Founder of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. ALDRIDGE, IRA 1807 - 1867 First Black American Shakespearean Actor. ALEXANDER, SADIE T.M. 1898 - Attorney. Former member, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. First woman to earn law degree from University of Pennsylvania. ALI, MUHAMMAD 1942 - Professional boxer. World Heavyweight Champion 1964-1978 ALLEN, RICHARD 1760 - 1831 Founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in 1878. ANDERSON, MARIAN 1902 - Contralto. First Black woman to sing with the Metropolitan Opera (1955). ARMSTRONG, LOUIS "SATCHMO" 1900 - 1971 Jazz trumpeter whose career started in small nightclubs at the end of World War 1. ASHE, ARTHUR 1943 - Professional tennis player. Named to Davis Cup team in 1963. ATTUCKS, CRISPUS d. 1770 Runaway slave from Framingham, Massachusetts, who was the first person to die in the Boston Massacre. 3/5/1770. BAILEY, PEARL 1918 - Singer, actress, TV performer. Made her stage debut in New York City, 1946. BAKER, JOSEPHINE 1906 - 1975 Exotic dancer, singer and entertainer of international acclaim. BALDWIN, JAMES 1924 - Leading author. Recipient of the National Institute of Arts and Letters award. BANNEKER, BENJAMIN 1731 - 1806 Astronomer, inventor, writer, mathematician. Served on the commission which laid out the plans for Washington, D.C. Edited several almanacs. BANKS, ERNEST 1931 - Major league baseball player and coach. Most Valuable Player award, 1958 - 1959. BARTHE, RICHMOND 1901 - First Black Sculptor member of the National Academy of Arts and Letters. Designed the Eagle which appears on the doorway of the Social Security Building, Washington, D.C. BASIE, WILLIAM "COUNT" 1904 - Composer, Big Band Leader. Received the "Esquire" magazine All American Band Award, 1945. BATES, GLADYS NOEL 1920 - Educator, Dean of Girls, Denver Public Schools. BECKWOURTH, JAMES P. 1798 - 1867 Frontiersman, Scout for General Fremont. Discovered a pass across the Sierra Nevada range to the Sacramento Valley in 1844. BELAFONTE, HARRY 1927 - Actor, singer and award-winning producer. MARSHALL, THURGOOD 1908 - Chief counsel NAACP for 24 years. First Black to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court, appointed June 12, 1967 by President Johnson. MARTIN, DON 1931 - Dancer, educator. Former member, Alvin Ailey Dance Co. MATHIS, JOHNNY 1935 - Singer. MATZELIGER, JAN ERNST 1852 - 1889 Inventor, patented shoe lasting machine. MAYNOR, DOROTHY 1910- Concert soprano. Founder of Harlem School of Arts. MAYS, WILLIE 1931 - Major League Baseball Player. McCOY, ELIJAH 1844 - (?) Inventor, held more than fifty patents. McDANIEL, HATTIE 1898 - 1952 Actress. First Black to receive an Oscar, 1940 Best Supporting Actress in "Gone With The Wind". MILLER, DORIE 1919 - 1943 Messman on USS Arizona. Downed four enemy planes during Pearl Harbor attack. Awarded Navy Cross. MILLS, FLORENCE 1895 - 1927 Singer, dancer, comedienne MORGAN, GARRETT 1877 - 1963 Inventor: automatic traffic light, gas mask used by Army in WW1. MOOREHEAD, SCIPIO 1753 - (?) Earliest known Black artist. MOTLEY, CONSTANCE B. 1921 - First woman Federal Judge. Appointed by President Johnson 1/25/66. First woman elected to New York State Senate. MOTLEY, WILLARD 1912 - 1965 Novelist. MUHAMMAD, ELIJAH 1897 - 1976 Founded first temple of Islam for Black Muslims, Detroit, 1931. MURPHY, CARL 1889 - Educator, publisher. Founded "Baltimore Afro-American". OWENS, JESSE 1913 Athlete. Won four Gold Medals in 1936 at the Berlin Olympics. PAGE, WILBUR A. 1895 - Humanitarian, Clergyman. PARKER, CHARLIE "Bird" d. 1955 Musician. Greatly influenced the development of jazz in the United States. PARKS, ROSA Arrested Dec. 1, 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her bus seat. This action led to a city-wide bus boycott and to the emergence of the Reverend Martin Luther King as the predominant Black Civil Rights Leader. PETRY, ANN 1911 - Writer, critic. Recipient of a Houghton-Mifflin fellowship. PICKETT, BILL 1862 - 1932 Cowboy, Rodeo performer. PINCHBACK, P.B.S. 1837 - 1921 Reconstructionist, political leader, businessman. POITIER, SIDNEY 1924 - Actor. Won Oscar as Best Actor. 1965 for his role in "Lilies of the Field". -9- SOME GENERAL FACTS ABOUT THE A.M.E CHURCH The A.M.E. Church as an organization lays claim to many achievements. Among them are: 1. It was the first Negro organization to own a piece of real estate in America. In 1793 it purchased the land at the corner of 6th and Lombard Sts., Philadelphia, Pa., on which it later erected Bethel Church, which church stands there today. 2. It publishes the world's oldest Negro religious weekly, The Christian Recorder, started in 1841. 3. It was the first Negro institution to promote, finance, and administer a program of higher education. Bishop Payne purchased Wilberforce University in 1863, and after that date schools and colleges have been established and maintained by Negroes in most of the southern states. The establishing and maintaining of these schools and college was the most daring venture of all the history of American education. 4. The A.M.E. Church was the first Negro institution to become actually concerned enough about our African brothers to go over and help them. Our missionary efforts date back more than 150 years. 5. The A.M.E Church was the first Negro institution to enter the publishing business. We published the A.M.E. Discipline in 1817 and the A.M.E Hymnal in 1818. 6. Rev. H.M. Turner, a minister in the A.M.E. Church, was the first Negro chaplain in the U.S. Army. He later became a Bishop. 7. Bishop J.A. Gregg was the first Negro elected president of Howard University, Washington, D.C. He did not accept the position, choosing rather to continue his work as a church leader. 8. Bishop J. A. Gregg was the first Negro leader selected by the U.S. government to make a trip to war areas of the Pacific, North Africa, England, and the Near East. He traveled 56,217 miles by airplane. 9. Rev. J. Russell Brown, an A.M.E. minister, was the first Negro chaplain in the U.S. Navy, appointed in 1943. 10. Bishop R. R. Wright, Jr., has published the biggest book ever edited and published exclusively by Negroes. 11. William T. Vernon served as Registrar of the U. S. Treasury under the administration of President Theodore Roosevelt. In that position he had to sign certain paper money of the nation. He later became a Bishop in the A.M.E Church. 12. William H. Heard served as U.S. Minister to Liberia and was a member of the South Carolina Legislature from 1880-1882. He later became a Bishop in the A.M.E Church. 13. Bishop S.L. Greene was the first to sign the document bringing into being the National Council of Churches, the most important movement in Protestant cooperation the world has ever known. Nov. 28, 1950, Cleveland, Ohio. 14. R.H. Cain, Senator from South Carolina, 1877- 79, was a preacher in the A.M.E Church. He also served as president of Paul Quinn College, Waco, Texas. Elected a Bishop from South Carolina. 15. Frederick Douglas, the great abolitionist, attended Metropolitan A.M.E Church in Washington, D.C. It is said that he gave the two golden candlesticks that now stand on the pulpit of that great church. The pew in which he sat regularly is marked with a golden name plate. His funeral was held at Metropolitan Church. 16. The first Negro United States Senator was an A.M.E Minister, Rev. Hiram Revels of Mississippi. DANIEL A. PAYNE The spirit of self-help was not confined to the breast of Richard Allen, but was spread abroad wherever Negroes lived. It spread to South Carolina and took root in the soul of Daniel A. Payne. Bishop Payne was the first Negro to preside over the Ecumenical Conference in London in 1892. Daniel Payne early in life recognized the value and importance of education in the life of the Negro. Through his own efforts he studied, became learned and was one of the first colored qualified teachers in South Carolina. He was driven from South Carolina for "teaching Negoes too much." He is generally Every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father ... with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. -James 1:17. -10- OUR ECUMENICAL RELATIONSHIPS The A.M.E Church stands on the Spiritual foundation which Richard Allen established when he gave us the motto: GOD OUR FATHER, CHRIST OUR REDEEMER, MAN OUR BROTHER. This makes our church broad enough to have spiritual fellowship with all of God's children and liberal enough to have institutional fellowship with all who accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. Any Christian from any denomination may be accepted into the membership of the A.M.E Church. We gladly cooperate with other denominations in the world wide programs of evangelism, missions, education, social service, social reform and other programs for the advancement of the kingdom of God. Because of this concept of our mission we as a denomination maintain active membership and relationship with many ecumenical movements and organizations. Just as our churches are open to all Christians, any minister in good standing may be invited to our pulpits. We do not consider ourselves to be exclusive in doctrine, rites or authority. We recognized the Christians of other churches and the churches of other Christians. We believe in the Church Universal and in the universality of the Christian religion. ANDREW WHITE Know Your Church Manual -11- The Anvil Poem Last eve I passed a blacksmith's door, And heard the anvil sing the vesper chime, Then looking in I saw lying prostate on the floor. Old hammers worn by blasting years of time. How many anvils have you had said I, To wear and batter those hammers so? Just one, said he with a twinkle in his eyes, The anvil wears the hammer out you know. And so I thought, the anvil of God's word, For many years skeptic blows have beat upon, And through the noise of falling blows are heard, The anvil is unharmed, the hammers are gone. "The Church of the Anvil" African Methodist Episcopal Church SPONSORED BY A Testimonial to the Founder of New St. James A.M.E. Church Mrs. Gladys Moorman Brief Biographical Notes of our rich "Black Heritage" Mr. Charles F. Hopkins A contribution to the Laity of our church as to the history of The African Methodist Episcopal Church. Mr. C.L. Burrell This Booklet compiled by Courtesy of Cleatus L. Burrell New St. James Laymen's Organization - 12 - [*June 3*] Marymount Manhattan College 221 East Seventy-first Street New York, New York 10021 Office of the President January 13, 1981 Ms. Louise Tappes 6080 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48202 Dear Ms. Tappes: Sara Arthur, our Vice-President for Student Affairs, spoke on the phone on January 9 with Rosa Parks and extended an invitation to her to accept an honorary degree from Marymount Manhattan College at our thirty-second Commencement in June, 1981. She suggested that we be in touch with you about further details. I am thus writing you to reiterate our most sincere invitation to Ms. Parks that we may be allowed the privilege of honoring a woman who has done so much for the cause of freedom and justice in our nation. Marymount Manhattan College is a small, independent, four-year liberal arts college dedicated to the education of the lower and middle income women of the metropolitan area. Approximately 40% of our student population comes from minority groups. It would confer exceptional meaning on the celebration of our Commencement if the College community and our graduating seniors might recognize Ms. Parks and her courageous and important work in civil rights. Commencement takes place on Wednesday, June 3, at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. I am enclosing some information on Marymount Manhattan which I hope you find of interest. It is my greatest hope that we may receive a favorable reply to our sincere request. With our best wishes for your happiness and prosperity in the new year. Sincerely, S. Colette Mahoney, RSHM Colette Mahoney, RSHM President SCM: cw Marymount Manhattan College 221 East Street Seventy-first Street New York, New York 10021 Office of the President February 9, 1981 Ms. Louise Tappes 6080 Woodward Avenue Detroit, Michigan 48202 Dear Ms. Tappes: We are contacting you once more in the hopes that Rosa Parks will accept our most sincere invitation to accept an honorary degree from Marymount Manhattan College. Our Vice President for Student Affairs, Sara Arthur, has been trying to reach you by phone with no success and I have as yet no confirmation that you received my letter of January 13. Commencement takes place on Wednesday, June 3, at 7 p.m. at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall. I reiterate that Rosa Park's presence would confer special meaning on our celebration and afford us the exceptional privilege of recognizing her courage and commitment. Because we must confirm our plans so far in advance, it would be most helpful if you could respond to our request by February 23. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to call Sara Arthur at 212-472/3800 Ext. 467. I look forward to hearing from you as soon as possible. Sincerely, Colette Mahoney, RSHM President SCM/pb Office of the President MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE South Hadley Massachusetts 01075 Telephone 413 538-2500 March 12, 1981 Mrs. Rosa Parks c/o The Honorable John Conyers, Jr. 231 West Lafayette 669 Federal Building Detroit, MI 48226 Dear Mrs. Parks: On behalf of the Trustees of Mount Holyoke College, I have the privilege of inviting you to receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Humane Letters at our 144th Commencement ceremony on May 24, 1981. Your extraordinary courage in Montgomery twenty-five years ago has provided over the years an inspiration to all women in this nation who would seek to right what is wrong in our society. In this year of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the bus boycott, we would seek to honor your remarkable leadership and to call anew the attention of our young women now moving into the larger world to the feats of revolution which have been possible for women in the United States. We are writing with a similar invitation to your good friend Virginia Durr, in the hope that she too will join us to receive an honorary degree. At Mount Holyoke, the oldest college for women in the country, the friendships between women and the power generated thereby are matters of concern and interest. You and Mrs. Durr would do the College great honor in allowing us to celebrate your achievements and your friendship by the conferrning of these honorary degrees. We would hope very much that you might come to South Hadley for a good portion of the Commencement weekend to visit our campus at leisure and meet with members of the Mount Holyoke community. In particular, we would wish you to join our Trustees and special guests for luncheon at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday before the Commencement ceremony begins at 3:45 in the afternoon. You would honor me personally by accepting an invitation to stay in my house for the duration of your visit. I shall look forward to hearing from you, and, if your reply is in the affirmative, as I hope it will be, I shall appreciate knowing how you would like your name to appear on the diploma. Sincerely yours Elizabeth Kennan Elizabeth T. Kennan [*call from secretary 3-23-81*] Office of the President MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075 Telephone 413 538-2500 April 2, 1981 Mrs. Rosa Parks 4 East Alexandrine Street Apartment 304 Detroit, MI 48201 Dear Mrs. Parks, We are so eager for you to join us in May to receive the honorary degree we spoke of in an earlier letter, but we understand completely how difficult it may be for you to travel alone. May we urge you, therefore, to bring with you your friend who provides such good help and support? We will be happy to finance transportation for both of you. Mrs. Durr has told me of Miss White's school where you spent many childhood hours. A number of "freedman schools" in the south were established by our own Mount Holyoke graduates; it would be so fine if you would come here for this occasion, to make, one might say, the circle of history complete. With all good wishes, and an earnest hope that I may have the pleasure of meeting you soon, Sincerely, Elizabeth Kennan Elizabeth T. Kennan Department of History MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE South Hadley, Massachusetts 01075 Telephone 413 538-2377 April 22, 1981 Mrs. Rosa Parks 4 East Alexandrine Street Apt. 304 Detroit, Michigan 48201 Dear Mrs. Parks: I was delighted when Mrs. Kennan told me the she had invited you to receive an honorary degree from Mount Holyoke this May. Perhaps it is out of order for me to write you in this way but one of my most able students, Theda Page, told me that she had been talking to you on the telephone and that you are still undecided about coming. Yesterday in my American history course, I gave a lecture on the beginnings of the Civil Rights Movement and as I got to the Montgomery story it suddenly became clear to me how very important it would be for all of our students to have you here at graduation. The days in Montgomery are ancient history for these students but I did find in the discussion after class yesterday that at least a few of the students -- and they were both white and black and both Northern and Southern students -- do care about the things that concerned you so powerfully twenty-five years ago. It would give these students an enormous sense of connection with the past that is in some ways more hopeful than the present, if you were to be with us on the 24th. I do hope that you and your friend can make the trip; it would be an honor to have you here. Sincerely, William S. McFeely Professor of History WSM/jp Rosa Parks: Back of the Bus Book & Lyrics JAMES MIRRIONE Music: JAMES CUMMINGS with LAEZER ALEXANDER ANTHONY F. CHASE DEVORAH FONG LEANORA LOGAN JOE PALMORE ANTHONY PIAZZA MARIAN ROLLE Set Design: ALTHEA BODENHEIM Research: TERRY H. TAYLOR JOE PALMORE Construction: LEWIS ROTHENBERG Musical Director: JAMES CUMMINGS Costumes: MARIAN ROLLE Technical Director: JUDITH YORK Assistant to the Director: LEANORA LOGAN Director: DEVORAH FONG ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The David and Minnie Berk Foundation of New York Patrolman Carey, N.Y.P.D 4M Publishing Services Corp. John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts: Alliance for Arts Education - Programs for Children and Youth Lamston's, Inc., Ave. of the Americas New York Urban Coalition Joseph Papp and Gail Merrifield COVER DESIGN by Kevin Cummings WHO'S WHO IN THE CAST LAEZER ALEXANDER (J. P. Blake) directed two Al Carmines musicals for Process Theatre and helped create and perform with Stagefright and Calyx, original, satirical musical touring companies. He trained at the Circle in the Square, with Gene Frankel, and has performed extensively in theatre, television and film on both coasts. ANTHONY F. CHASE (Ellis Danforth, Dr. King) was nominated for the '76 Audelco Recognition Award for Best Supporting Actor as Cellow in Hail, Hail the Gangs. He was recently seen as Deadwood Dick in the Off-Broadway production of Deadwood Dick, Legend of the West (or They Went Thataway). Anthony would like to thank his mother, family and friends for their continued support. DEVORAH FONG (Muriel Bendine) was most recently featured in the national PBS series, "Footsteps." Other credits include the national tour of People of '76 and various Off-Broadway productions. She is also a member of Carla Pinza's Latino Playwrights Reading Series. Ms. Fong is the Associate Artistic Director of the CREATIVE ARTS TEAM. LEANORA LOGAN (Estelle Perkins) has toured in Europe in "Leanora and Matt - The Trumbunich Mimes" and was seen with the Henry Street Settlement Theatre, D.C. Black Repertory Company, New Federal Theatre, and Archaesus Productions. Having appeared internationally on television and film, Leanora can currently be heard as the voice of Maxwell House Coffee. JOE PALMORE, (Henry Carson, E.D. Nixon) a native of Piedmont, Alabama, received theatre training at Tennessee State University, Webber Douglas Academy in London and at N.Y.U. where he's presently enrolled in the Ph.D. program in theatre. Joe has appeared in several Off-Broadway plays and on NBC's The New Nashvillians. Thanks to God for his ever abiding spirit and listening presence. ANTHONY PIAZZA (Carlton Ryder, Policeman, Mr. Leslie) played the title role in Kaspar on Theatre Row and was also in King Oedipus with James Earl Jones. Anthony was featured Off-Off-Broadway in productions of Death Watch, Brothers and Sisters, and Plebians Rehearse the Uprising. He also worked with Process Theatre, playing leading roles in Dr. Rat, Peer Gynt, Oedipus, and In Circles. MARIAN ROLLE (Rosa Parks) was born, raised and educated in Miami. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she worked with Le Bene Theatrical Ensemble in God's Trombone and did a national tour with Voices, Inc. in Journey Into Blackness and Harlem Heyday. Marian also appeared as Harriet Tubman in the New Cycle Theater's production of Making Peace. JAMES MIRRIONE (Playwright) is an original member of the CREATIVE ARTS TEAM and is the company's resident playwright. He received his M.A. Degree from New York University, and is currently completing his doctorate in theatre at NYU. His recent play, The Record, was produced as an Equity Showcase at the NYU Studio Theatre in 1979. JAMES CUMMINGS (Composer) was most recently the Musical Director/Composer for the Off-Off-Broadway production of Pericles at the Jean Cocteau Repertory Company. In concert he has opened for Sonny Rollins, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Bonnie Raitt, and Oregon. Jim would like to thank his father and brothers for their musical inspiration PROGRAM NOTES On December 1, 1955, Mrs. Rosa Parks, a 42-year-old tailor's assistant, boarded a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on her way home from work. Although Mrs. Parks had taken this journey before, the day would not end in quite the same way. For, when the bus driver attempted to clear Rosa from the front row of the "colored" section in order to seat a white man, she refused to move. This small act of defiance quickly transcended the bounds of Montgomery and ignited the controversy surrounding this nation's segregationalist policies of the 1950's. Twenty-five years have passed, but the effects of her action have reverberated throughout recent history. What at first appeared to be an infraction of local municipal law soon embroiled an entire nation in a re-examination of de-facto prejudice that had become the 'modus operandi' for black and white America. It was not long after that last bus ride that consciousness and conscience were raised to fever pitch. Black leaders such as Drs. Martin Luther King and Ralph Abernathy forged the machinery for an effective civil rights movement. Yet, in light of all that has transpired since Rosa Parks' stand, there is a need to understand and pay homage to an individual who, before it was fashionable or legal, said NO to America's own system of apartheid. The CREATIVE ARTS TEAM commemorates this achievement with a play entitled ROSA PARKS: BACK OF THE BUS. With such a theatre production we feel we can adequately present the achievements and tragedies of this era, blending information and entertainment in an illumination of the woman and the issues which precipitated the energy, passion and discord in America's march toward human rights. WHAT IS C.A.T.? ...a provocative and challenging theatre company which questions, probes, involves and, finally, motivates personal response and action. ...a team of actors on the faculty of New York University who develop original programs through historical investigation and ensemble improvisation. C.A.T. is well-versed in the concepts of drama and theatre and their potential to tap inner resources for self-discovery. ...a catalyst for thought on social and curricular issues, enriching the lives of both young people and adults by the vitality, immediacy, and pertinence to the concerns of today's society. ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Lynda Zimmerman.......Executive Director Joanne Meltzer..............Associate Director Dan Martin......................Program Coordinator Terry H. Taylor................Research/Development For further information about the work of the TEAM contact: CREATIVE ARTS TEAM / NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 50 West 4th Street, Rm. 733 New York, N. Y. 10003 (212) 598-2360. 2207 Women in Community Service, Inc. 18th Annual Board and Corporation Banquet "Everyone A Winner" May 3, 1983 The Statler Hotel, Buffalo, New York Program "Everyone A Winner" Welcome..................................Martha Villalobos, President Mistress of Ceremonies.....Sarah Norat, Public Affairs Director, WKBW-TV Channel 7 Invocation................................Dr. Martin L. Goldberg Music.........................................Deborah Travis, soloist Van Taylor, accompanist Dinner Greetings.................................Richard Planavsky, Commissioner, Administration & Finance Office of Mayor James D. Griffin Musical Selection.................Deborah Travis Guest Speaker........................Yvonne Scruggs-Leftwich, Commissioner, New York State Division of Housing & Community Renewal Rosa Parks Award..................Rosa L. Parks Mary Helen Rogers, 1983 award recipient Benediction..............................The Right Rev. Msgr. Maurice Woulfe There was nothing special about her birth. The date was important to but a few who cared. Her days settled quickly and imperceptively into the routine...the repetition of events that are called life. But, there was something special about the woman. On December 1, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama, Rosa Parks, in the single act of refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus, dramatically focused the eyes of America on injustice. She led no demonstrations, she planned no strategies...She acted alone, and millions of people followed. An ordinary woman did an extraordinary thing--- alone and unrecognized--with little thought of the enduring impact of her act. Rosa Parks and the WICS Volunteer of the Year share this in common. Rosa. L. Parks Mary Helen Rogers Mary Helen Rogers, of San Francisco, California has given unselfishly, without regard for personal gain, to the young, the elderly, and to families. Mary Helen Rogers, for the past 20 years, has advocated for equitable housing, proper mental health and child care, equal education opportunities, and crime prevention. Mary Helen Rogers, with her indomitable spirit and unfaltering devotion to helping the poor, the disadvantaged, the young, and the old, has helped shape the destiny of her community. Mary Helen Rogers, an ordinary person, whose extraordinary acts have influenced the lives of so many, is truly deserving of the highest recognition given by Women In Community Services, Inc.-- the Rosa Parks Award. 1983 Rosa Parks Award Given in recognition of extraordinary acts of ordinary people Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.