Jackson earns a 4-year degree after a serious car wreck and two months in a coma 30 years ago

Shalonda Jackson walks across the stage at The LeMoyne-Owen College commencement to
accept her degree. She graduated from Whitehaven High School in 1987. A devastating auto
accident caused the 30-year delay. (Photo by Markum Stansbury Sr.)

If it had not been for sheer will power and the determination to finish what she had started 30 years ago, Shalonda Patryce Jackson wouldn’t have been ready to walk across the commencement stage to receive the Bachelor of Science in Education.

But she was more than ready for that crowning achievement on the morning of May 13, when The LeMoyne-Owen College kicked off its 147^th Commencement ceremony at Mt. Vernon Baptist Church-Westwood in Memphis.

Donning cap, gown, tassel and the purple and gold stole, Jackson remembered how far she’d come to this point in her life and made her way to the stage to complete her final journey to academic achievement.

Shalonda Patryce Jackson

That sterling moment almost didn’t happen, though. On May 28, 1990 – Memorial Day weekend – Jackson and Sherian Boyd, her roommate and best friend, were en route to Memphis from Washington D.C. and careened the rented car Boyd was driving into a grove of trees in Greenville, Tenn., about 56 miles from Knoxville.

Boyd had fallen asleep at the wheel, but managed to crawl from the back seat of the twisted Lumina with a broken leg and fractured ribs just in time to beckon a trucker to stop. Like the Good Samarian, the trucker stopped to help.

Jackson, whom Boyd thought was dead, had to be airlifted to Holston Valley Medical Center in Kingsport, Tenn. Her prognosis? Not good. She’d suffered brain trauma, a right broken leg, and lapsed into a coma.

Beverly Wade said she’d forbidden Jackson to come home because she’d hosted a party at Sherrods to celebrate her daughter’s 21^st birthday on May 14, 14 days before the accident.

Wade’s admonishment was no doubt a second thought after receiving an alarming phone call from Boyd’s mother, who broke the news that the two Howard University students had wrecked the car on the way to Boyd’s brother’s graduation in Memphis.

“Shalonda was in Kingsport in a coma for two months,” said Wade, who dropped everything and rushed to Kingsport to be with her daughter. She was there for the duration while her husband, Bill Wade, other family members and clergy, made the trek as much as possible.

The doctors didn’t think Jackson was going to pull through, Wade said. They were giving up hope that their life-saving equipment wouldn’t be enough to save Jackson. Wade, on the other hand, was praying for a miracle.

“When we arrived at the hospital, she didn’t even know she was in the world,” said Wade, refusing to give credence to the doctors’ grim report. For assurance, she turned to God – and some tranquilizers and valiums to calm down.

“When we walked into the ICU, she had a trachea in her throat,” Wade observed. “She had a cast covering her entire face.”

When the coma finally released Jackson from a state of deep unconsciousness, she opened her eyes to a world that was remotely familiar. But she couldn’t remember the serious accident that had mangled her body and nearly took her life.

The accident only delayed Jackson’s quest to finish her education. “It was a setback,” she said. “I knew what kind of student I was and I knew things weren’t the same.”

Jackson graduated from Whitehaven High School in 1987 and was studying for a career in pharmacy. “It was hard then,” she said. “But having a head injury and losing a little of my thinking…I just couldn’t remember all of that stuff.”

 Five years after the accident, Markhum “Mark” L. Stansbury Sr., a family friend and then interim president of the former Shelby State Community College (now Southwest Tennessee Community College), mentored Jackson and encouraged her to enroll.

Dr. Gina M. Stewart, who served as Dean of Admissions at the college, also mentored Jackson and supported her efforts to finish the course. Stewart, the senior pastor of Christ Missionary Baptist Church, stuck by Jackson’s side since the accident and subsequent rehabilitation.

“I was able to drive down to Shelby State and talk to her. She (Stewart) told me that enrolling in Shelby State would be a start,” said Jackson, who went on to earn an Associates Degree.

She discovered thereafter that the two-year degree wouldn’t cut the muster in the job market.

“Everybody was looking for experience,” she said. “How can I have experience when I’m fresh out of college? So I kept working and decided to go to a four-year institution.”

Jackson was working at Kroger’s – where she is employed part time today – but pursuing a four-year degree superseded everything else.

She first enrolled at the University of Memphis before matriculating at Howard. After the accident, she went back to the U of M, then Shelby State, and transferred from there to LeMoyne in 2013.

It was difficult physically and mentally to pull it all back together, said Jackson, now 48. “I don’t walk the same. But I pretty much do the same things that everybody else does.”

She is not like everybody else, though. The accident couldn’t stop her from pursuing an education. Her resolve wouldn’t falter.

“I’ve taken the Praxis 1 exam and now I’m working on completing my certification. I didn’t pass the first time,” said Jackson, a teacher’s assistant at Melrose High School.

If Jackson had given up after the accident, she wouldn’t be where she is today. So she’s determined to pass the Praxis to make her life just a litter better.

“It’s something that’s been in me all my life,” she said.

Homeowner supports cops with a hearty meal

Martha Washington-Smith opens "Mama's Kitchen" to feed police officers J.M. McCoy
(left), D. Johnson, Lt. J.B. Bell and others during COP STOP. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

Several police officers from the Memphis Police Department’s Cordova/Appling Farms precinct pulled their cruisers up to the home of Martha Washington-Smith and made a beeline to the front door.

The intermittent show of force on May 13 may have drawn gawks and curious stares, and no doubt triggered the gossip mill, but a sign in Washington-Smith’s yard explained the officers’ presence – COP STOP.

COP STOP is the brainchild of Bob and Joanna McNeil-Young, a Germantown couple who started feeding police officers in 2015 to show their support for the arduous job they do to keep the community safe.

The mission is to provide fellowship and goodwill by opening homes throughout communities and provide home-cooked, family-style meals to local law enforcement officers.

A news report featuring the benevolent couple serving police officers in their home caught Washington-Smith’s attention and inspired her to open her home to the men and women who swore to “serve and protect.”

She inquired about COP STOP and joined the group a few months later – but not before going through the vetting process. The homes can’t be in an area where there is a potential for ambush, Washington-Smith said.

Accustomed to feeding the homeless via Golden Gate Cathedral, her home church, Washington-Smith was eager to serve the first responders in “Mama’s Kitchen,” a name she uses to describe her love of cooking.

 “God has blessed my daughter, Tamika C. Washington, and I to become a part of your ministry!! Your ministry is rapidly growing,” said Washington-Smith, thanking the Youngs on Facebook after a successful COP STOP last year.

“When I do it, I do it from my heart. It warms my heart,” said Washington-Smith, an employee at Express Scripts. This is the fifth COP STOP she’s hosted. An usher at the church, she is used to serving people.

“The Lord has blessed me to be a blessing,” she said. “I believe in giving them flowers while they live.”

Washington-Smith and her daughter prepared turkey and dressing, mashed potatoes, cabbage, baked chicken, mac and cheese, corn and green beans. After the full-course meal, the officers sampled ice cream, peach cobbler and banana pudding.

Theori Wade, Tamika’s 8-year-old daughter, helped to prepare the latter dessert. She wanted in on the action.

“It’s great. It’s awesome…the food…the people,” said Officer J.M. McCoy, a 14-year veteran with the MPD. He added that COP STOP helps to bridge the gap between the police and civilians.

“Most people who see the uniform think we are coldhearted. But we are people just like you,” said McCoy, who dined one other time at Washington-Smith’s home and remembered her hospitality.

“I just love it,” said Washington-Smith, who spends her own money to feed dozens of officers throughout the day. Many of them arrive on an empty stomach and fill up between calls.

“At one COP STOP, I had about 40 police officers in my house at the same time,” she said.

Lt. J. B. Bell has been with the MPD for 34 years. Saturday was his fifth COP STOP. Like McCoy, he said the invitation to dine at the home of a civilian “shows that people in the community do care.”

“There are some good people in the community,” the lieutenant added.

Officer D. Johnson, a 14-year veteran with the MPD, has eaten at Washington-Smith’s home each time she’s extended an invitation.

“The food is great and wonderful,” said Johnson, trying to find another word in his lexicon to describe Washington-Smith’s cooking.

Johnson barely finished a plate before he was called to duty. He left and other officers came in behind him.

“I thank God for you,” Bell told Washington-Smith at the dinner table. “Not many black people do this for the police.”

“Showing love to these deserving men and women is the only way to change things in the community,” Washington-Smith said.

Honoring youth who triumph over adversity

Beat the Odds honorees: Nadir Muhammad (left), Melody Holmes, Christen Dukes,
Kelsea Washington and John Christopher Cooper. Back row: James Robinson, who received
the Cathryn Rivers Johnson Award. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

Several students with varied challenges and one adult assembled around the dinning room table at Dr. Theresa M. Okwumabua’s home in Midtown on May 5 to discuss last-minute details for an upcoming awards banquet. They also went through a dry run to mitigate any problems when they recount how they beat the odds to make life better for themselves and others.

“As you share your stories, some young person can say, ‘If they can do it, I can do it, too,’” said Okwumabua, encouraging each honoree receiving this year’s Memphis “Beat the Odds” Award to speak up unabashedly at the awards banquet on May 18 at Lindenwood Christian Church, 2400 Union Ave. The banquet will start at 6 p.m.

“You’re distinguished. In addition to what you are challenged with, you are giving back to the community, and that’s why you’re being honored,” said Okwumabua, executive director of Memphis “Beat the Odds” Foundation (MBTO), now celebrating 24 years of honoring youth-driven accomplishments.

Okwumabua founded MBTO in 1994 after attending an awards dinner sponsored by children’s activist Marian Wright Edelman and the Children’s Defense Fund, of which she is founder and president.

Christen Dukes, 20, is one of seven students MBTO is honoring. He is shy and speaks softly, but his annual fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital speaks volumes.

Born six months premature and weighing two pounds, Dukes wasn’t expected to live no more than 24 hours. Since then he’s struggled with sickle cell anemia, but the pain hasn’t stopped him from advocating for St. Jude and others struggling with the disease.

“Having sickle cell as a child put everything in perspective for me,” said Dukes, an accomplished trombonist studying music at Visible Music College in Memphis. He has been the recipient of many awards and honors and often draws media attention to his cause.

Other MBTO honorees may not be as media savvy, but overcoming their adversities warrant attention. Melody Holmes, 17, was involved in a car accident during her freshman year and sustained a brain injury and other damages.

Although Melody struggled physically and underwent cognitive rehabilitation, she focused on academics at Middle College High School, from where she will graduate this year with top-tier grades. She has a 4.1 GPA. A career in accounting is part of her immediate plans.

When MBTO volunteer Christin Webb asked the honorees to write three words that define them, Melody came up with “driven.” She pondered two more words, but they wouldn’t come to mind.

Kelsea Washington, 15, is visually impaired. She’s had several surgeries to correct a condition known as Retinopathy of Prematurity, the result of being a preemie and weighing a mere 1 pound and 5 ounces at birth.

“I feel my experience being visually impaired will help kids and adults who are legally blind. My story will give them hope,” said Kelsea, an inquisitive student who plays basketball at Memphis Academy of Science and Engineering. She sings at church too.

Don’t count 16-year-old Nadir Muhammad out. He is autistic, but doesn’t consider the neurodevelopmental disorder a hindrance. Autism is characterized by speech difficulty, language and abstract concepts. Nadir is on the opposite end of the spectrum, Okwumabua said.

Nadir is a whiz at math and science. A junior at W.E.B. DuBois Academy of Arts and Technology, he averages an ‘A’ in physics. His GPA is 3.67. While school is important to him, so is volunteering to feed the homeless, collecting “pennies” for leukemia patients, and working in soup kitchens.

“My challenge has inspired me to be the best that I can be and never give up,” said 18-year-old John Christopher Cooper, explaining how his life changed after he was diagnosed at 2 with Coates’ disease, a rare congenital, nonhereditary eye disorder.

John is shy and unassuming, and doesn’t like speaking out in public, said Rochelle Cooper, John’s mother. His work, however, speaks for itself. He will graduate on May 18 from Houston High School with a 3.0 GPA.

John’s inability to see out of one eye hasn’t stopped him from focusing on extracurricular activities: participating with the Kappa League Leadership Organization, Bridge Builders, mentoring youth, and serving at church.

Natalie Lopez Gill, 19, is Hispanic. She is graduating this year from Cordova High School. The language and cultural barriers would have tripped her up, but she has persevered and learned to speak English. She volunteers a lot, too.

Corian McLemore is developmentally challenged. The label, however, hasn’t deterred this 17-year-old from giving his best at Germantown High School, where he works hard to succeed academically. He also manages the football and basketball teams and advocates for students with disabilities.

Five years ago, Okwumabua started recognizing one adult who has worked tirelessly in the community on behalf of youth and young adults. James Robinson, founder, executive director and facilitator of Metamorphoses, Inc., met the criteria. He will receive the Cathryn Rivers Johnson Award, named for the children’s advocate.

“It’s nice to be recognized. But what I do I do from my heart,” said Robinson, who teaches behavior modification to juveniles from Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court, the Department of Children’s Services, and Shelby County Schools. He also teaches parents to modify their behavior.

Interpreting the Fort Pillow Massacre with art

Aisha Raison marvels over a Confederate battle scene created by artist Ronald C.
Herd II in mixed media. (Photo by Wiley Henry)

“If you don’t tell their story, the ancestors get no glory,” said Ronald C. Herd II, expounding on the Fort Pillow massacre of 1864, the year Fort Pillow, a Union garrison in Henning, Tennessee, fell to Confederate troops.

Fort Pillow wasn’t the only casualty during the Civil War. That year on April 12, nearly 300 Union prisoners were shot to death. Most of them were black soldiers, said Herd, an artist, musician and activist speaking to a small group at Art Village Gallery in Downtown Memphis. 

“Nathan (Bedford Forrest) gave the order even though he wasn’t there,” said Herd, holding the Confederate general, slave trader and reportedly the Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan culpable.

The art gallery was the destination for some observers and a pit stop for others who sauntered in on March 31 to view a collection of paintings, drawings and other media based on the artists’ interpretation of the massacre.

The exhibit will run until April 14. The contributing artists are Darlene Newman, Frank D. Robinson, Carl E. Moore, Roy Hawkins Jr., Marion Joyner-Wilson, Iris Love Scott, Sr. Walt, and Ronald Herd, the exhibit organizer.

 “Using Our Art to Tell Our Stories: Remembering Fort Pillow” is the title of the art exhibit, which kicked off the Fort Pillow Massacre Commemorative Project honoring the black soldiers and civilians who died on that fateful day. 

The project commenced last year on April 12 when the Memphis Area Branch of the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History (ASALH) held a wreath laying ceremony to honor the fallen soldiers.

A memorial service will be held on April 11 this year at Christian Fellowship Missionary Baptist Church, the church that the late Dr. W. Herbert Brewster, a composer, poet, lyrist and dramatist, pastored when it was named East Trigg Baptist Church.

On April 12, at 10 a.m., a national wreath laying ceremony will be held at the Memphis National Cemetery at 3568 Townes Ave., where the soldiers were buried in 1867. ASALH again is organizing this ceremony along with W.E. A.l.l. B.E. Group, Inc.

The acronym stands for World, Enriching, Activating, Liberating, Love, Beautification, and Experience.

Ronald Herd is the founder of W.E. A.l.l. B.E. Group, Inc., an umbrella organization advocating responsible social entrepreneurism and activism via the arts, media and education.   

He and his mother, Callie Herd, who spawn the idea to educate people about the massacre through the arts, thought it would be a fitting tribute to the soldiers. The historic significance of the project is “God-ordained,” she said.

“We wanted to create a story through the eyes of the artists to allow the audience to see the importance of knowing one’s history so that we will learn from the negatives,” said Callie Herd, an activist and author of a college preparation blog.

 “These are black artists paying homage to their ancestors,” said Ronald Herd, a social justice artist, blogger, and jazz aficionado known by the moniker “R2C2H2 Tha Artivist.”

Aisha Raison was smitten by the artwork and the controversial imagery emanating from the surface of the paintings and drawings.

“There is so much history behind this exhibit,” said Raison, including the sordid history surrounding the Fort Pillow massacre.

Her grandmother, she said, lived in Fulton, Tenn., one of the oldest settlements in Lauderdale County, and talked about finding skulls along the banks of the Mississippi River.

Fort Pillow, also in Lauderdale County, is nearby.

“They were kids playing by the riverbanks,” said Raison, an author, poet and essayist who works at WABN Radio, a gospel station in Southaven, Miss.

Stanley Campbell noted the importance of the exhibit and its attraction. “I feel the energy from up high,” said Campbell, the proprietor of the House of Mtenzi (Swahili for artist), a museum and venue for the performing arts.

“I’m delighted to be a part of the past history, the presence, and what’s to come,” he said.

Historical marker a fitting tribute to the Lee sisters

The story of the Lee sisters in now etched in bronze. From left: Peggy Jayne Lee, Sandra
Faye Lee Swift, Elaine Lee Turner, Ernestine Lee Henning and Brenda Lee Turner
(Photo by Wiley Henry)

Going to jail is not at all pomp and circumstance. But for a family of courageous sisters, it was a “badge of honor” to be carted off to jail 17 times during the turbulent civil rights movement.

On March 25, more than 50 years later, a historical marker was unveiled honoring Ernestine Lee Henning, Sandra Faye Lee Swift, Brenda Lee Turner, Elaine Lee Turner, the late Joan Lee Nelson, Peggy Jayne Lee and Susan Carlotta Lee.

“This is living history,” said Jimmy Ogle, county historian for the Shelby County Historical Commission, which preserves, educates and approves requests for historical markers.

The marker was unveiled in front of Royal Furniture at the corner of South Main and Gayoso, site of the former Black and White Store before it was renamed Shainberg’s, where Ernestine and Elaine were arrested.

“We’re here because we are indebted to the Lee sisters,” said the Rev. Dr. L. LaSimba M. Gray Jr., senior pastor of New Sardis Baptist Church and member of the Commission. “We’re here to pay a debt that we owe the Lee sisters.”

It was Gray and Markhum “Mark” L. Stansbury Sr., a WDIA luminary and fellow Commission member that set in motion the process to preserve the legacy of the Lee sisters after the death of Joan Lee Nelson last year in September.

“Tell the Lord thank you for the Lee sisters,” Stansbury told the intimate group of family and supporters that gathered around the marker to witness living history and the story of the sisters’ gallantry.

Vasco “Smitty” Smith III, son of the late civil rights activists Vasco and Maxine Smith, referenced the Lee sisters’ tenacity to stay the course despite the fact that some activists were injured or killed in their pursuit of justice and equality.

“This is one strong, brave group of women,” Smith said.  

Grace Meacham, a retired schoolteacher who attended the former LeMoyne College with Ernestine and likewise sat in with her at libraries and lunch counters, said the Lee sisters deserve recognition for their contribution to civil rights.

“It has taken 57 years for the sit-in movement to be recognized,” said Meacham.

There were accolades aplenty during the unveiling ceremony, including a reference to a 1965 Jet magazine article hailing the Lee sisters, and brothers, as the most arrested civil rights family in the United States.

“I was in high school at the time,” said Brenda Lee Turner, reflecting on her arrest record with three of her sisters at Peggy Jayne Lee’s law office a couple of days before the marker unveiling.

“We knew the risk we were taking,” said Brenda, adding: “We were excited about getting arrested.”

Peggy was around 12 years old when her older sisters were getting arrested for sitting in at department stores along Main Street. She couldn’t wait to follow their lead. Neither could Susan, the youngest sister.

“At night when they came in, they were like conquering heroes,” said Peggy. “We would be waiting on them so they could tell us what happened during the day.”

Ernestine, the oldest sister, was compelled to fight for justice, determined to end discrimination, and hell-bent on dismantling Jim Crow laws. She led the charge to desegregate lunch counters, libraries, stores and other facilities.

“It just wasn’t right,” said Ernestine, who lives in Los Angeles.

Elaine was arrested three times. “After Ernestine had been arrested for taking part in the first sit-in, we were just excited,” she said. “There was so much excitement in the Lee household.”

Getting up every day to picket, march or sit in was a “daily duty” the sisters took pride in. Elaine said their parents, the late Robert and Alversa Lee, encouraged their 14 children to stand up for justice.

They stood up and sat in, too, to call attention to the city’s unfair treatment of African Americans and the upheaval that had spread throughout the South across political and social spectrums.

“We brought attention to injustices,” said Brenda. “We made a difference and I’m glad that we got a chance to be a part of it.”

More than a decade after the civil rights movement, Elaine and Joan would continue to fight and educate people eager to learn about local African-American history. In 1983, they founded Heritage Tours.

“We have a civil rights tour,” said Elaine. “This [marker] will fit right into that type of tour, as groups come from all over the country. They come to learn the history of Memphis.”

And they will come to learn about the Lee sisters too.

Widow of fallen soldier shares her story in new book

Author L. Latrese Dixon

Death could be described as the final chapter in the life of the decedent. But not for the late Staff Sgt. Donnie Dixon, who lives on posthumously in an intriguing book written by his widow, L. Latrese Dixon.

“From Tragedy to Triumph: The Life of a Widow” is the recounting of an enduring love story told by Dixon, who was shattered after the Army sent her husband home from Iraq in a flag-draped coffin.

 “The life I once had, I had no more,” Dixon writes. “Donnie’s unit was set to return home by October 2007. I went from preparing Donnie’s homecoming to now having to prepare for his home-going.”

It was extremely difficult, she explains, “but I had to tell myself to breathe. I’d lost many people to death – even family members – but to lose a husband, a spouse, was a totally different level to me.”

Loneliness and sadness added to Dixon’s grief. The loss was nearly too much to bear and would have overtaken her if it had not been for the children: Ta’Mya, Sha’Bria, D’Andre and Donnie Jr.

“I’ve had people to ask how I overcame the challenges,” said Dixon, who was encouraged by Col. Dave Sutherland (retired U.S. Army), Kim Mitchell and others to speak about her travails as the widow of a fallen soldier.

But Dixon was too shy to speak out in public and needed a mouthpiece to speak in her stead. So she enlisted Sutherland and Mitchell, founders of The Dixon Center, an outreach for veterans and military families.

Friends and loved ones, however, continued to encourage Dixon. They wanted to know how she was able to grieve and yet maintain her sanity. Since speaking about it wasn’t going to happen, she decided to write it down.

Nothing would go on without Dixon’s children having their say in the matter, though. “I wanted them to write their own piece…how they felt about the tragedy of their dad,” said Dixon.

But then Dixon didn’t want the children to relive that moment after breaking the news to them that their dad wasn’t coming home. They were grieving in their own way, so she took the burden off them and opted to write “From Tragedy to Triumph: The Life of a Widow.”

“Once they realized they couldn’t do it, I just let it go,” said Dixon, who had lost her father 18 months after Donnie’s death, her brother when she was 18 years old, and her mother when she was 12.

Prayer got her through each time death came knocking. But after Donnie’s death, she needed fervent prayer to put her life back into perspective. She couldn’t afford to crumble under the weight of grief, because she had to stand in the gap for her children.

“Death is never easy,” she said. “Having to explain it to my children affects them as well.”

The book explains it all – her life with and without Staff Sgt. Donnie Dixon.

“I want people to understand that what you’re going through, you’re not by yourself,” said Dixon. “Everybody has difficulty dealing with tragedy. It’s how you deal with it in the end.”

In Dixon’s case, she would overcome death without turning to drugs, alcohol, medication and other addictions. She chose instead to embrace friends and loved ones and frame those unforgettable memories of Donnie for posterity.

“There’s life at the end,” she said. “But I don’t think you can ever be healed.”

Ta’Mya, Sha’Bria, D’Andre and Donnie Jr. are constant reminders that Dixon’s late husband and the children’s father is always present.

“Each one of them has something that reminds me of their dad,” said Dixon. “The kids are a precious gift. With them, he will never be forgotten.”

The children, however, managed to find solace after the death of their father. It was a melodious chord to Dixon’s ears.

“As I got older, the children said, “‘Ma, life has to keep going. He wouldn’t want you to stop.’”

She hasn’t stopped moving since penning “From Tragedy to Triumph: The Life of a Widow.”

For more information, call L. Latrese Dixon at (254) 466-8262 or email her at latrese_dxn@yahoo.com. “From Tragedy to Triumph: The Life of a Widow” can be purchased through www.amazon.com.

Two members from ‘Memphis State 8’ die days apart

The Memphis State Eight: The late Rose Blakney-Love (l to r), the late Eleanor Gandy, Bertha
Rogers-Looney, Luther McClellan, John Simpson, Marvis Laverne Kneeland-Jones (seated).
Not pictured are Ralph Prater and the late Sammie Burnett-Johnson. (Photo by Mark Stansbury Sr.)

On Sept. 18,1959, eight black students walked onto a white college campus when racial tension was seething and forever became known as the “Memphis State Eight.”

Three of the members have died – two recently: Eleanor Gandy, 76, on Feb. 6 in Charlotte, North Carolina; and Rose Blakney-Love, 75, on Feb. 12 in Memphis. Sammie Burnett Johnson, 71, was the first to die in 2011.

Five of the eight members remain: Luther McClellan, Marvis Kneeland Jones, Ralph Prater, John Simpson and Bertha Rogers Looney.

Their courage and determination to integrate the former Memphis State University during the burgeoning civil rights movement may have gone unnoticed if Markhum “Mark” L. Stansbury Sr. had not recognized their historical significance as trailblazers.

“We need to recognize the Memphis State Eight,” Stansbury urged Dr. Shirley Raines when she served as president of the current University of Memphis where he worked as her special assistant.

A photojournalist and trailblazer himself, Stansbury did not want the actions the group took in 1959 to become just a footnote in history or, worse, languish in obscurity. He knew their actions were just that important for posterity.

Raines was convinced the eight trailblazers deserved the recognition and their rightful place in the annals of history. She welcomed them back on campus in 2006 to a rousing reception and ceremony in their honor.

The group’s exploits would catch the attention of the media from time to time and eventually lead to the presentation of a historical marker in front of the Administration Building.

“My life was made richer by knowing them and admiring their courage,” Raines wrote in an email. “It was my distinct honor to have the historical marker honoring them placed on the University of Memphis campus.” 

Stansbury admires the eight trailblazers’ courage as well for defying the University’s racist admissions policy and their disdain for black students at that time. He once tried to enroll, but was denied. He would serve four different presidents nearly 20 years.

Dr. Miriam DeCosta-Willis, who tried to enroll in the university’s graduate program two years before the group’s decision to challenge the all-white faculty and student body, was not accepted either.

An activist, scholar, author and retired university professor, DeCosta-Willis said Gandy, Blakney-Love and Johnson are a passing generation of civil rights fighters. She was shaken by the recent deaths of Gandy and Blakney-Love.

“I mourn the loss of those two valiant individuals,” said DeCosta-Willis. “Now three of the eight are gone. It’s very troubling.”

She was saddened too “when I read that two very courageous fighters were down. I hope people will understand their courage and fortitude. What they went through was abominable.”

They were vilified, harassed and ostracized even after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1954 that separate education was “inherently unequal.” Still, torment and loneliness would follow the eight students on campus each day they were subjected to the harsh reality of racism.

In spite of all the hoopla surrounding their contentious enrollment, the eight students kept their eyes on the prize: a college degree – whether it was conferred by the university or obtained at other colleges where some of the members opted to attend.

Equating the courage and moxie of the Memphis State 8 with Maxine Smith, Vasco Smith and Benjamin L. Hooks, DeCosta-Willis said Gandy, Blakney-Love and Johnson were treasures.

“I hope young people understand the sacrifice they made,” she said. “Sometimes we take for granted what they were able to accomplish.”

Gandy would go on to graduate from the University in 1963. In 1996, she earned a master’s degree in education from Mississippi State University. After graduation, she taught French in Memphis City Schools for more than 20 years.

Two years after integrating the University, Blakney-Love left to get married and went to work for the Tennessee Board of Parole.

“We extend our sympathies to the families of Eleanor Gandy and Rose Blakney-Love,” said U of M president David Rudd in a released statement. “As we continue to grow as a University, we hope the courage and strength shown by these two groundbreaking students will inspire future generations to stand up for what they believe in, and to fight for social justice.”