A little Faith: Going to See MLK
Contributed by: Kevin Gillespie
My mother, Faith Gillespie, wrote a cooking column in the ‘60’s called the “Queen of Hearts” for the Observer/Eccentric newspapers. She was a trained chef but, really, it was a weekly column that she used to spread her wisdom and wit about all things domestic and beyond. That being the case, the editor was reluctant to provide her with press credentials when she requested them. “You just write a cooking column!’ they told her. Her response was that she worked as hard for that newspaper chain as anyone and deserved to be as accredited as any of the rest of them.
Faith be of Love
She got her press card.
My mother was also very politically active and in March 1968 she took my sister, my brother and me to see Martin Luther King speak at the Grosse Pointe High school auditorium.
Demonstrating amazing courage, she dragged us through a literal gauntlet of racial taunters and otherwise loud and angry people that lined the streets that led to the school. The whole scene felt like a powder keg and someone, somewhere just had to be lighting the fuse.
When we finally reached the entrance, the two sheriff deputies at the door stepped in front of my mother and told her that the Fire Marshall had ordered the doors closed and, even with a ticket, no one was getting in.
No sooner had the words left the deputy’s mouth than my mother had her Observer/Eccentric press card out and in his face. “I’m with the press!” she declared, In a moment of trying to decide what to do, he loosened his grip on the door, my mother grabbed my sister, my brother and me by whatever she could get hold of and then this 5’2″ woman lowered her shoulder and pushed her way into the building, dragging us behind her.
I was 12 years old and it was one of the most richly amazing experiences of my life. The fear, the courage, the momentary disappointment and the pride in my mother are still so real I can still feel them. These intense and rapid-fire emotions made seeing Dr. King speak all the more powerful.
Kevin Gillespie is a COG who was born in Detroit, raised in Paris and lives in Ann Arbor. He helps people be better in everything they do. Visit Kevin at http://WhatsInYourToolKit.com email KevinGillespie@whatsinyourtoolkit.com