Chattanooga News Chronicle - 4, 2021 Page 11 Chattanooga News Chronicle - March 4, 2021 NEWS / CLASSIFIEDS

March: Women’s History Month Honors Gloria Richardson: A Civil Rights Force Still Going Strong

One of the most influential leaders ria married Harry Richardson, a local of the , Gloria school teacher, and was a homemaker Richardson remains, at 98 years strong, for 13 years while raising their children. an undeniable figure in not just Black Her formal foray into the civil or Civil Rights history, but American rights movement grew from her daugh- history. Some people even call her the ter Donna’s participation in protests “Second Harriet Tubman.” against segregation and racial inequal- One thing that stands out is the ity in Cambridge. Gloria helped form iconic photo of her pushing away a gun – and was selected to lead – the Cam- and bayonet that showed her stance on bridge Nonviolent Action Committee. not settling for nothing less than the She was a leader of the Cambridge best for her, her community and her Movement, a civil rights campaign in people. her hometown. According to The Sun, Gloria advocated for economic pending Public Accommodation Law After President Lyndon B. Johnson Richardson was the first woman in the justice; demanding not only desegre- up for a referendum vote the following signed the historic Civil Rights Act in country to lead a grassroots civil rights gation, but also good jobs, housing, year, in 1964. July 1964, the National Guard finally organization outside the Deep South. schools, and health care. She was an “Many Negroes don’t want to withdrew from Cambridge. She helped found – and lead – the Cam- early advocate for the use of violence vote on something that already is their Gloria resigned the CNAC in the bridge Nonviolent Action Committee in self-defense when necessary. In a right,” Richardson told The Evening summer of 1964. Divorced from her (CNAC) during a period of civil unrest seminal photo, Gloria is seen pushing Sun at the time. “Public accommoda- first husband, she married photogra- 50+ years ago caused by racism and away a national guardsman’s rifle after tions are a right and cannot be given or pher Frank Dandridge and moved to lingering segregationist practices. Maryland Governor Millard Tawes en- taken away with a vote.” New York where she worked for the Her story began in Baltimore dur- acted martial law. After rioting broke out in June, City’s Department of Aging and Na- ing the Depression. Born to John and After 12 African American stu- Gov. J. Millard Tawes imposed mar- tional Council for Negro Women. Mabel Hayes in 1922, Gloria and her dents were arrested on May 25, 1963, tial law on Cambridge and ordered the Gloria still speaks truth to power. family moved to Cambridge Maryland for causing a disturbance while pick- Maryland National Guard under the A New York resident for 55 years, she when she was six. Her mother’s family eting the Board of Education, and two command of Gen. George M. Gelston continues to inspire people around the – the St. Clair’s – were prominent and were expelled from school and remand- to take charge of the city. Nightly world – and in her hometown. politically active. Gloria’s grandfather ed to correctional schools, Richardson marches that began in the 2nd Ward In 2017, the state of Maryland hon- – Herbert St. Clair – owned real estate, continued the demonstrations and eco- with the singing of “We Shall Over- ored her legacy by dedicating February operated numerous businesses and was nomic boycotts. come” could be heard as demonstrators 11 as “Gloria Richardson Day.” Due the sole African-American member of Six days later, Richardson appealed headed for Main Street. There, whites to an ice-storm in New York, she was the City Council. to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy lined both sides of the street, pelting not able to travel as planned to Cam- Gloria left Cambridge at 16 to at- for a federal investigation of violations them with eggs while calling out racial bridge’s historic Bethel AME to be rec- tend . She gradu- of constitutional rights in Cambridge. epithets as Guardsmen stood by. ognized in person. Thanks to modern ated in 1942 with a B.A. in Sociology She also taught the attorney general an Led by the efforts of Attorney Gen- technology, she spoke to the packed and worked for the federal government important lesson about poverty and job- eral Kennedy and other Justice Depart- church in a live remote broadcast from during World War II. When the war lessness, reminding him that the civil ment officials, a five-point Treaty of her apartment. Source: BDO Staff ended, she returned to Cambridge. De- rights movement was not just about de- Cambridge was agreed to and signed in Writer Gemma Greene, March 1, 2021) spite Gloria’s degree and connections, segregation. Kennedy’s office by Cambridge city -of she couldn’t land a job as no agencies She focused particularly on a seg- ficials and African American represen- would hire a black social worker. Glo- regationists’ effort to put the state’s tatives.

The G.O.P. Prizes Black Republicans Logistic Buying Specialist; Chattanooga, TN – Ensure that all goods and services for VW Logistics are effectively and efficiently procured in a -man conscious framing would argue that low taxes fuel the revitalization of Black ner which meets all legal, ethical and VW Group Global Sourcing process; businesses and neighborhoods. Among the Black Republicans who spoke develop negotiation strategies coordinated and aligned with Group tasks; with me, those who invoked the race-blind approach reported finding greater assist suppliers in developing offerings to create a competitive environment acceptance within the Republican Party. to accommodate the needs of the company; among other duties. BS +3 yrs Black Republicans also told me that their opportunities for advancement experience. Will accept Bachelor degree equivalence. Send resume to J. in the G.O.P. depended on sticking to the party’s dominant rhetoric on race. Hinschlager, Global Assignments Manager, Volkswagen Group of America, When the Republican Party embraces white grievance, articulates anti-Black 2200 Ferdinand Porsche Dr., Herndon, VA 20171. Ref. LBS-TN. No phone policies and raises anti-Black voices, Black Republicans are less able to talk calls please. about Republican policies in ways that will uplift Black people. The Black Republicans who articulate ideas consistent with white grievance, or who work to undermine claims of racism, are given broad platforms within the party, even when those ideas are not particularly resonant with Black audi- ences. This race-blind messaging is not necessarily representative of what Full-time Lead Teacher. This is a full-time posi- all Black Republicans think, but it is what the primarily white leadership of tion 37.5 hours a week in a 1.5-2yr old classroom. Republican organizations wants to hear. Pay is based on experience. Hours are 8:30am- My research made me realize that the G.O.P. gets the diversity it deserves. When there is a shared understanding of how race should be folded into the 3:30pm Monday-Friday. political discourse and framing of Republican policy, Black Republicans and their white counterparts enjoy a mutually beneficial relationship. The Repub- Child Care Aid (Floater). This is a 20 hour a week lican Party gains a descriptive diversity that has Black faces delivering the party’s message. Black Republicans and their organizations find themselves position and pays $9 an hour. with access to resources—material and symbolic—that white Republicans The hours are Monday – Thursday. are eager to make available. 9:00am-12:00pm. But when Black Republicans endorse an explicitly “pro-Black” version of Republicanism, relations with white Republicans can be contentious and adversarial. Black Republicans who articulate a “race doesn’t matter” brand Part-time Teacher. This is a 25 hours a week posi- of conservatism are given a platform and a national audience, and Black Re- tion and pays $9.50 an hour publicans who invoke a “ through conservative principles” ap- proach or acknowledge the impact of racial discrimination are marginalized. With this in mind, the shift in the “face” of Black Republicans under Mr. Trump should not necessarily be understood as a shift in what Black Repub- licans care about. Instead, the G.O.P.’s organizational priorities and prefer- ences, driven by white leadership within the party, set the standards for what is acceptable for Black Republicans to say. Accordingly, the current crop of high-profile Black Republicans reflects the priorities and preferences of cur- rent leadership in the party. One way to think about Black Republicans is that they represent the chal- lenges of being Black in white spaces. Their experiences stand out in the con- text of politics, but they are not unique. Indeed, the experiences of Black Re- publicans parallel stories of well-known Black people who have risen through predominantly white organizations. I have also heard from friends and family members who are embedded in organizations and institutions with primarily white leadership. Similar to the experience of Black Republicans I studied, they tell stories about engaging with organizations that proclaim to embrace diversity and inclusion but only want “diverse” voices that toe the party line. As institutions respond to calls for racial equality, it is critical that we consider the organizations that Black people will be integrating into. The Republican Party provides an interesting case study of how the attitudes and preferences of organizational leaders shape the experience that these newly incorporated folks will have. In practice, the incorporation of “diverse” peo- ANYTIME ONLINE ple into an organization is fragile and heavily conditioned on those people sharing the same orientation to thinking and talking about race and racism. ChattNewsChronicle.com