The Willis Mitchell Story: A Los Angeles Family's Struggle and Enduring Fortitude and Perseverance in Their Fights for Civil Rights

By Charlene Diane Mitchell

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• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 18, 2008
• ISBN: 9781469112312

Charlene Diane Mitchell

Charlene Diane Mitchell is a native of Southern California and has earned her Baccalaureate Degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Northridge, and she has earned her Masters Degree from National University in Counseling Psychology. She has recently released three books: "Blu' Tonic Relationships", "White For One Night", and "The Willis Mitchell Story". These books are striking the publics interests and are great resources for Black History.

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Contents

CHAPTER I

The Beginning

CHAPTER II

Welcome to Los Angeles

CHAPTER III

The Makings of a Family

CHAPTER IV

Working and Traveling Together

CHAPTER V

The Family Progresses

CHAPTER VI

CORE Congress and Other

Civic Duties

CHAPTER VII

The Passing of Willis Mitchell Sr.

CHAPTER VIII

The Legacy Continues

FAMILY TIME

LETTING GO

Dedication

To all that have faith in the Supreme Being because without that power, it would be impossible for me to tell this story.

Money, politics, and environmental psychology can all be used as positive or negative forces to influence the masses. Unfortunately, in some ways, the aforementioned were used negatively against my family. However, good will prevail even when those who oppress people disobey and try to destroy the Master’s will.

Moreover, the important thing is not only what I have written but also reading in between the invisible lines.

My family and I are living proof of the fact that good will triumph over evil. We have survived victoriously. Amen!

CHAPTER I

The Beginning

On February 1, 1924, Snowie Beedie and Johnny Mitchell Sr. welcomed into the world their eldest of five children. Snowie Beedie had a mixed heritage that included Native American, Caucasian, and African American. She possessed a tall and slender build, accented by the rich texture of her bronze skin tone. Her hair was dark and wavy; it swayed closely to her knees. She wore a gentle smile with eagle features. Johnny Mitchell Sr. possessed a predominately Creole heritage. He was complimented with a small-medium frame and tan body. His curly hair and dark crème body were coupled well with his thin lips, pointed nose, and his almond, almost oblique-shaped brown eyes. The family that would result from their marriage would be rich in cultural inheritance and tradition.

The first of their five children, Willis Mitchell, was born to Johnny and Snowie in Derritta, Louisiana, although he was quickly moved with his parents to Los Angeles, California. The economic depression that seemed to encompass the whole world resulted in a bleak society, piqued with people standing in lines displaying worn-out clothing and ration cards. These fears and characteristics would follow the family to Los Angeles as well. Despite the fact that the family had little money throughout the Great Depression, they were able to learn various thrifty and economic tricks and tips that would help them to stay happy and healthy, even when they had very little economic resources available to them.

The Great Depression was an economic downward spiral felt in many countries. The economic slump began in some countries as early as 1928. The stock market crash that signaled the start of the Depression in the United States took place on October 29, 1929. This day is referred to throughout history as Black Tuesday. At almost five years old, Willis Mitchell Sr. grew up in a time where construction was virtually at a standstill, personal income was drastically reduced, and farming and rural areas suffered as crop prices were cut by up to 60 percent. This unfortunate economic time was his reality, and the family learned how to make do even in the face of impossible odds.

Becoming aware of the world during the Great Depression, Willis exhibited some characteristics of the times and trials that he and his family had experienced. Throughout his life, Willis was an extremely economically minded and had trouble letting go of things, just in case they might be needed later. He kept old papers, old cars, clothes, and furniture as though he was some kind of collector of such. To help make ends meet for his family, Willis would go out and hustle nickel-and-dime jobs.

There were many times where Willis would have to make a single pair of shoes last an incredible amount of time. When the sole of the shoe would come apart, Willis would replace it with cardboard and staple his shabby shoes back together. To many other people today, this action sounds ludicrous. This was the way Willis and his family learned to make ends meet.

Willis’s parents split up when he was still fairly young. As a result, he was raised by his grandmother, Lula Bryant. Lula had a pleasant round face with bright blue eyes and a cartoonist’s laugh, all of which helped Willis and his siblings adjust with ease to their new living arrangement.

Lula took care of Willis partly because Snowie had what would later be categorized as a mental breakdown and could not properly care for her children. When Snowie and Johnny got married, Snowie was only twelve or thirteen years old. By the time Snowie was eighteen, the family had been filled out with five children total. Though she was able to finish college, the time she spent married seemed to be hard on her. When she needed time to herself, Grandma Lula was able to raise the children to have good morals and an inclination toward solid family values.

Throughout high school, Willis Mitchell was an outstanding athlete who participated in many sports at Jefferson High School, including track, football, and baseball. Located in Los Angeles, Jefferson High School is renowned for its athletes, as well as its students with outstanding academic records.

Willis clearly enjoyed playing sports and was successful for the most part. Not only skilled when it came to athletics, Willis was also quite intelligent and did well in school subjects.

Willis was reaching adulthood around the time of World War II. At age eighteen, 1942 was bringing the United States closer and closer to war with the Axis Powers. In the beginning of the twentieth century, religious tensions were high, while many individuals were also against immigrants coming into the United States, and racial mixing in marriages was extremely rare.

During World War I, the military mixed racial groups together, and individuals from different native countries were coexisting. Brigadier General Harvey Jervey wrote, It is not the policy of the United States Army to encourage or permit the formation of distinctive brigades, regiments, battalions, or other organizations composed exclusively or primarily of members of any race, creed, political, or social group.

The policy seemed to do some good eventually. Many units would be together for two to four years and would act as a melting pot for individuals from all walks of life. However, while immigrants may have been working together more succinctly in the military, this good will was not extended to African Americans until after World War II.

Prior to and throughout World War II, segregation was supported by military officials because blacks were believed to be unintelligent. Willis, for his part, did what he could as an individual to put this belief to rest. Throughout school, he was academically impressive, but it is true that one person can do little on his or her own when the world holds fast to a stereotype. In mass populations, it was also believed that severe social disruption might break out if the troops were not segregated.

Between the years of 1942 and 1945, 209 racial confrontations occurred in the military. While Willis grew up, this was the view of the military that he was presented with when it came to minorities and, specifically, African American soldiers. Faced with such a situation, it would be forgivable, if not entirely understandable, that Willis would take issue when his own eldest son would seek to join the military.

As he reached adulthood, Willis met a young woman whom he fell madly in love with and wanted to marry. Her name was Juanita Mary Robertson, and Willis quickly asked her to be his wife.

The two met when Juanita was seventeen or eighteen years old. Juanita was renting a room at Lula Bryant’s house in Los Angeles, and this is how she was introduced to Willis. Willis arrived at Grandma Lula’s home one day and saw a charming woman roaming about in the kitchen preparing a meal. As he approached the kitchen, Lula appeared in