Voices from the Civil Rights Movement. A reader's theater presentation by fifth grade students featuring quotes from participants in the Civil Rights Movement.

1. Voices from the
Civil Rights
Movement
By: Samantha, Kieran, Vanya, Bea, and
Jeremy

2. William Minner
“We had stopped at a spring. It was a very popular place where both blacks and whites would go
to get water.We had waited there for about 30 minutes.
But the people ahead of us , they were all white. When we had reached our
turn, two white men grabbed my dad.They told him he’d have to wait until all
of the white people had finished.Dad said , ‘we’ll get our water another day or we’ll come
back’.They said, “your going to stay here, and when all of the good white people have gotten
there water, and when everyone is gone, then you can do what you want to.’ When all the white
people finished getting their water, Dad got his water. I remember him telling me, ‘what you saw
there was real hatred and prejudice. But this is not going to be forever . . . there’s gonna come a
day when this won’t be anymore”

3. Effie Jones Bowers
“That first day was a scary day. We were trying not to be afraid. We were
talking, and I believe they had blocked some cars that had come by, and
people were hollering at us, and the police were all out there, and we just
knew that we were going to try to be strong. They told us just to go
straight and don’t look back…. you know, they just called us all kind of
trash. So we kept going and we got to Hall and we went up the steps and
went in the school. When we got in the school that’s where everybody was.
They were all standing there in this hall. Then finally someone ushered us
which way to go.”

4. Frank McCain
“There was a student who was finishing up her coffee at the counter. She
strode toward me and ani I said to myself. `oh my, someone to spit in my
face or slap my face’ I was prepared for it. but she stands behind Joseph
McNeil and me and puts her hands on our shoulders. Shes said,’boys I’m so
proud of you. I only regret that you didn’t do this 10 years ago.”

5. Sarah Rudolph
“Addie was standing by the window. Denise Mcnair asked Addie to tie the sash
on her dress. I started to look toward them just to see them, but by the time
i went to turn my head that way there was a loud noise.I didn’t know what it
was.I called out Addie’s name about three or four times, but she didn’t
answer.All of the sudden,I heard a man outside holler, ‘Someone just bombed
the 16th Street church.’ He came in, picked me me up in his arms, and carried
me out of the church. They took me over to the hospital ...The doctor told me
after they they operated on my face that i had about 22 shards of glass in my
face. When it was all over with, they took the patches off my face that i had
lost my right eye, and I could barely see out of my left eye.I stayed in the
hospital about two-and -a-half months”

6. Mary Frances Mayes
“I didn’t ever have any fear.I wanted to go
vote,but I didn’t have nobody to carry me
because they was scared.And when I did go
over there to vote, they asked me, ‘How
many grains of corn on a cob? How many
seeds in a water melon?’ I said ‘How do you
know unless you cut it open and count it?’”

7. Harold Dahmer
“My brother Dennis came and woke me up.He told me the house was on fire
and he got me out of there.The house was engulfed in flames.My father
was covered with smoke and soot, skin was hanging off his arms. My aunt
carried him to the hospital. We waited for the fire truck to get there;it
took about thirty five or forty five minutes to get there and it was just
six miles away.Let’s just put it this way,they weren’t in any hurry to get
there.I knew what we were doing about voter registration, but it never
occurred to me that something like this would happen. We were just trying
to help other people”

8. Questions for you...
What do you think about the Frank McCain’s quote how
do you think they felt?
If you were asked ‘how many seeds in a water
melon?’ What would you say?
how would you feel if somebody fire bombed your
house?
If you were forced to stay at a spring even if you told the
people you would go like William Minner was, how would you
feel?