Trip
of a lifetime
Commentary by Michelle
Fitzhugh-Craig
 It’s
the perfect example of community coming together.
It was Nov. 4, 2008,
that Mary Everett came up with a great idea: She
thought it would be nice if her and her sisters
traveled to Washington, D.C., to watch the inauguration
in January … and invite some other Oaklanders
who also may want to see history in the making.
Little did she know that two months, two weeks
and two days later her dream will become a reality.
On Tuesday, among the thousands of Bay Area residents
who will stand on or near the National Mall to
see Barack Obama take the oath of president of
the United States, there will be 50 Oakland residents
who traveled — by bus — more than two
days across the country standing among them.
“I’m
gonna witness history in the making,” Morgan
Wilson says. The 15-year-old ninthgrader, who attends
Oakland’s Bay Area Tech, was given the last
spot on the cross-countrybound coach after he wrote
what the experience would mean to him. “I’m
going to become a part of black history.”
So
is Morgan excited? “Oh yeah,” he says
with a big grin.
The group — “We Believe … Get
on the Bus” — is a grassroots collection
of those dedicated to being a part of change. And
their theme song: “Get Here” by Oleta
Adams, of course.
Although they worked with ElTyna
McCree of ATravel Moment to assist with air and
train packages for people wanting alternate ways
to attend the inauguration, it was the bus component
that piqued the interest of many … and brought
a mirage of mixed feelings.
On Dec. 1, 1955, a
woman by the name of Rosa Louise Parks refused
to surrender her seat to a white male passenger
on a Montgomery, Ala., bus. Her decision
triggered five days of protests and Parks has since
been referred to as the mother of the modern-day civil
rights movement.
For several of those who will board
the Macarthur Tours bus Thursday night, it’s
about reliving history — in a new light — by
taking a mode of transportation that has often been
a stigma for blacks.
“I’m old enough to
remember what the back of the bus looks like,” says
Carolyn Hunt, 67. The Memphis, Tenn., native adds the
ongoing struggles of African Americans is what helped
her choose riding the bus to D.C. “There is no
way I’m gonna miss this bus trip.”
Stephen
Lewis knew from the minute he heard about the bus trip
he wanted to be a part of it. The 62-year-old Oakland
resident will represent his extended family in witnessing
history. The Globe’s own Aqueila Lewis also is
going, via coach, to help chronicle the group’s
historical experience.
Those “getting here” are
a diverse mix of the best of the bay. The youngest
person going is 2; the oldest 76. They will journey
across America on I-40 — along the path of the
old Route 66 — and pass through the South, where
more than two centuries ago blacks were held as slaves.
The bus will drive through Memphis — the location
of the Lorraine Motel where MLK was assassinated. And
as expected, it will take a little time … 55
hours before they reach their destination of Harrisburg,
Penn.
“Fifty-five is nothing compared to the
200 years of slavery we went through,” explains
Lillian Litzsey. The Hayward/South County chapter president
of Black Women Organized for Political Action says
she could have watched the event on TV or at one of
the local venues hosting watch opportunities. But it
was the significance of traveling by bus to pay witness
that has Litzsey going.
“I don’t want to
regret not going to this inaugurations,” she
says.
Everyone has their own reasons for attending
the inauguration and how they will get there, but this
bus trip probably means the most to Everett, her seven
sisters and one brother who have worked diligently
to create an experience all 50 passengers will never
forget.
The siblings — who run the family-owned
Everett & Jones Barbeque — include Virginia
Everett-Wessinger, 60; Pearl Everett-Jones, 59; Dorothy
King- Jernegan, 57; George Allen Everett Sr., 55; Shirley
Dicko- Everett, 53; Mary Everett, 52; Helen Bellamy,
51; Yolanda Crawford, 49; and Angie Fuqua, 48. While
four of the sisters “get on the bus,” the
rest of the crew will host several inaugural-related
events for the public back home.
“We Believe” spokeswoman
Dicko-Everett says she always knew the community would
climb on board and embrace their ideas.
“The
Bay Area community, I always knew they would always
come together,” she said. “If they had
a vehicle … and you gave them the opportunity,
they would get involved and stay involved because we
had a common interest.”
As Dicko-Everett reflects
on the journey — physically and emotionally — she
is about to take, it is her mother, Dorothy Everett,
who passed away in October 2007, whom she will share
it with.
“Some of us are compelled to go and
witness it for our ancestors who did not live to see
this. I’m definitely doing this for my mom,” Dicko-Everett
said, her eyes brimming with tears. “We used
to vote, it was our thing together. I’m taking
her ballot with me because she did not get to fill
it out, and I’m just going to honor her.
Michelle Fitzhugh-Craig
is an award-winning journalist who resides in Oakland.
If you have an individual, organization, issue
or other topic that may be of interest to the Globe’s
readers, contact her at talk2mfc@yahoo.com. Visit
her blog at www.stpminute.blogspot.com. |
