Rosemary’s Memories: “In Memphis, things were very different. I had more of a sense of freedom than I had in my previous years living at St. Catherine’s or Sacred Heart.”
Art & Southern Politics
In August 1967, Rosemary was met at the Memphis airport by Sister Carol and Sister Barbara. With a scant 3 credits in Art Education, she had been assigned to St. Agnes Academy to start a K – 12 art department (and to continue working with Dorothy). Art books checked out from the public library and guidance from Dorothy provided the inspiration and ideas for planning a program for the new art department. During the day, Rosemary taught at St. Agnes. At night and on weekends, she was a student in Dorothy’s art classes.
Not long after Rosemary arrived in Memphis, the sisters began hearing about the Sanitation Workers Strike. However, despite their ongoing efforts to understand what was happening and why, the reasons for the strike remained ambiguous because the local paper only covered the strike as told from the perspective of the city.
Rosemary’s Memories: “In January, the sisters went to a meeting of the Catholic Human Relations Council. That was when we first heard the sanitation workers side and we realized there were ways we could be better informed and possibly lend some support. So, we started going to meetings in African American churches. Neither my own Dominican community at St. Catherine’s nor the parents at St. Agnes liked the fact that the sisters were getting involved. As a consequence, we probably received more criticism than we deserved and we weren’t really able to help as much as we wanted. A short time later, after a change in administrative leadership, the Dominican community would become more enlightened. But in 1967, they greatly disapproved of what we were doing.”
Unwilling to turn their backs on the tumultuous struggle for equality made the sisters both witnesses to historic events and participants whenever they found ways to help. On April 3, 1968, the Sanitation Strike brought Dr. King to Memphis. Rosemary, and several of the sisters were seated a few rows behind Dr. King in a packed Mason Temple listening as he delivered his final speech.
In the summer of ’68, the sisters volunteered to help with a children’s bible school and recreation program in Greenwood, Mississippi. The Civil Rights Movement had already grown deep roots in Greenwood. From 1962 – 1965 it had been the center of protests, arrests and voter registration struggles. In June 1966, marchers from the group, March Against Fear, set up camp on the grounds of the Stone Street Elementary School. And after his release from jail on June 17, Stokely Carmichael gave his famous Black Power speech at the Broad Street Park in Greenwood.
When they arrived, the sisters quietly settled into an African American neighborhood. In an effort to be less noticeable, and hopefully less likely to be targeted for reprisal, the sisters did not wear their habits in town. Gradually their volunteer work became much more than was originally intended, as their work within the community led them to offer their help with local voter registration efforts within the black community. 1968 was a year of triumphant highs and deepest lows. It would be the culmination of a long and brutal struggle to elect and send African American delegates to a presidential convention. That year delegates, from the MFDP (Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party) were finally officially seated, but not until after the Democratic Party adopted a clause which demanded equal representation from all of their state delegations.
Rosemary’s Memories: “When it came time for people to vote, the local Greenwood government came up with a contrived excuse not to allow us into the courthouse because they said, the floors had just been done. So, when the people arrived to vote for black delegates to represent them at the presidential convention, they had to vote outside on the courthouse lawn. While they voted pickup trucks with rifles displayed in gunracks, circled the courthouse.”
When the sisters returned to Memphis, Sister Barbara and Sister Carol received transfers. Rosemary stayed on in Memphis continuing to teach and work with Sister Dorothy until 1972.
Rosemary’s Memories: “I stayed in Memphis for several years and I felt lucky that I had the opportunity to see changes. It didn’t happen right away, but gradually people’s attitudes were changing.”