Standing Tall: Putting Down Roots

By Jan Collins-Eaglin and Lola M. Jones

This book brings into focus the lives of African-American women who lived in Washtenaw County, Michigan in the years after World War I and before the Civil Rights era. These are the voices of women who raised families, fought for homes, and worked through their churches and their clubs to improve economic, housing, educational and social conditions in their communities. When this project began, interviewers from The Ann Arbor Chapter of The Links Inc. asked these women, What was it like living in Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti between the 1940s and 60s? This book is a collection of their answers and experiences in their own words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 6, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477141786

Jan Collins-Eaglin

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Copyright © 2012 by Jan Collins-Eaglin and Lola M. Jones.

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Contents

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1: Community Life

Chapter 2: Spiritual Life

Chapter 3: Education

Chapter 4: Social and Civic Organizations

Chapter 5: Political Involvement

Afterword

Dedication

Having become well acquainted with a part of Ann Arbor’s history that is often overlooked, we have had the opportunity to get to know these accomplished women and share their stories. Many of the women have passed on, so their stories have increased meaning to our community history. We dedicate this book to the women who shared parts of their lives with all of us.

Laura Benton

Rosemarion Blake

Patsy Chandler

Doris Clay

Pauline Dennard

Myrtle Dixon

Virginia Ellis

Daisy Evans

Marguerite Eaglin

Mary Louise Foley

Thelma Goodman

Martha Graham

Louise Hardwick Horne

Rolanda Taylor Hudson

Mrs. Joseph Mhoon

Jean Kersey Palmer

Betty Kersey Stevens

Mary Taylor

Gertrude Francois Warren

Emma Wheeler

Connie Mae White

Foreword

Several years ago, my mother-in-law, Mrs. Marguerite Eaglin, asked if I would accompany her to her weekly bridge group. Bridge was her passion and she needed assistance to get to the group. I was happy to drive her and to meet the ladies she had played with for over fifty years.

The story of the bridge group is a history in itself. In 1950, a group of African American women in Ypsilanti met and decided they wanted to organize a bridge group. First, there was one problem; not one knew how to play bridge. So they gathered with books on their laps, taught themselves to play bridge, and continue to meet. The ladies rotated hosting the bridge game in their homes.

Their weekly gatherings were always an upbeat occasion. When the ladies arrived to play bridge, they first had lunch. There was always a main course and wonderful homemade desserts: pound cake, peach cobblers, strawberry shortcakes. The tables were exquisitely set with matching napkins, beautiful place settings and sparkling glasses. The ladies always set out their best.

After lunch, they played bridge. I did not know how to play, so I would sit, read, and listen to their conversations. As they played, they would reminisce about their past, the community, and events in their lives. I was fascinated and impressed. While they played, I listened to their stories of struggles, sacrifices, and began to appreciate the many contributions these ladies made to the community.

Shortly after my first visit to the bridge club, one of its founding members, Mrs. Yvonne Williams, died. She was a teacher and had been instrumental in educating and guiding the youth in the Ypsilanti community. At her funeral, many people gave testimony to the impact Mrs. Williams had on their lives. The Minister, Rev. S.L. Roberson, encouraged the community to remember Mrs. Williams and the women like her who shaped the community and devoted their lives to educating, raising their families, and contributing to the betterment of the African-American community.

Rev. Roberson’s words and the stories of the Ypsilanti bridge group inspired the Ann Arbor Chapter of The Links Inc., record stories and anecdotes from the lives of African American women in Washtenaw County. The Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation initially funded our idea to collect the oral histories and the University of Michigan and the Palm Leaf Club joined the chapter to gather their recollections. This book emerged from the lives of the women in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor and is dedicated to them.

Jan Collins Eaglin

Preface

When I came to Ann Arbor to complete my degree in social work at the University of Michigan, I fell in love with the city and wanted to know more about it. I found two or three books in the library depicting the history of Ann Arbor and the various waves of immigrants who settled here. There was virtually nothing about Blacks, why they came, when they came, or where they came