It’S Where You Finish That Counts: The James Russell Story

By Leon C. Harris

We all have trials and challenges in our lives, but, love can conquer a host of tribulations.

James E. Russel was a man who found the source of support we all need when difficulties arise. He found faith and love. In the world of state-wide Alabama politics, for a black man, Jimmy Russel needed all the help he could get. Russell had the love of his wife, Diane, to weather any storm that came his way. His faith in God sustained him when his way was darkened by hate and danger.

To truly evolve as human beings, we have to submit to real, positive change in our lives. Here was a man who actually listened to others and really valued their opinions. By allowing respect and care for others to rule his life, Russell developed a wholesome compassion for the people of Alabama... all of them. Take a journey with James Russell to places a black man was not supposed to go. Can Jimmy survive in the cauldron of hate?

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Nov 12, 2015
• ISBN: 9781491782323

Leon C. Harris

Leon Harris is a retired educator from the Alabama Public School System. He has worked in the classroom at the 6-12 level and college. His work also included stints as an administrator and head basketball coach. Mr. Harris is active in the mentoring program, formed by his church’s outreach arm, at a local elementary school. The efforts in mentoring also involves his fraternity, Kappa Alpha Psi, and its drive to encourage and develop young people in the community. The website www.theharrisreview.com is dedicated to teachers and Mr. Harris is available for consultations at no charge. He is the father of four daughters and eleven grandchildren. Mr. Harris is constantly looking for ways to serve his community.

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Copyright © 2015 Leon C. Harris.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4917-8231-6 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4917-8232-3 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2015918349

iUniverse rev. date: 11/10/2015

Contents

The Governor

Chapter 1 The Calling

Chapter 2 Who is James Earl Russell?

Chapter 3 A Time to Weep and a Time to Laugh

Chapter 4 The Proof is in the Deed

Chapter 5 We’ve Only Just Begun

Chapter 6 It’s Time to Shine

Chapter 7 Sweet Land of Liberty

Chapter 8 Win or Go Home!

Chapter 9 Fight to the Finish

Chapter 10 The Homestretch

To my wife Diane and to the memory of my parents, Mildred and Leon Harris, love and gratitude.

The Governor

Chapter 1

The Calling

On a hot, steamy August afternoon, a very excited James Russell entered the law offices of Craig and Russell in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. He had reason to be fired up that day.

Jimmy had just concluded a meeting with one of the most powerful men in Alabama politics. Aside from being one of the richest citizens in the state, Steven Poindexter had been attorney general and lieutenant governor in the early nineties. Poindexter had remained in the Democratic Party even after many of his friends defected to the GOP.

At five foot eleven and weighing almost 180 pounds, he was in great shape. He dressed well, and women swooned over him. He seemed to be permanently tanned and his blue-gray eyes commanded attention. He had been born and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Why was Jimmy so excited about his lunch date with Poindexter? We could all see the glow in his face when he entered the office that day. He was obviously happy about something.

Hey, you hit the lottery or something? asked Sarah Morris, the office secretary.

Well, it’s not every day that a black man, of average means, is asked to run for the governorship of the state of Alabama, Jimmy said. It floored me when he said the word governor! When someone like Steven Poindexter speaks, you listen. I guess you’re wondering what I am talking about. He told us he was happy and scared to death at the same time.

By the way, my name is Larry Ford. I’m a law student and will be an aide to James Russell during his campaign for governor. My minor was language arts, and writing is my favorite pastime. When the attorneys have questions about word choices for briefs or even ads for the papers, they often ask my opinion. What I learned during this time in Alabama history can’t even be put into words. You don’t get that type of education from a book.

It was exciting, breathtaking, and fearful at the same time. Between my night classes and work at the law office, I had little time for socializing, but God knows I loved every minute of it.

I helped with research for the preparation of briefs, helped set appointments, and answered the phone if necessary. And I ran errands too.

Mr. Russell (I addressed all of the adults respectfully, the way I was taught at home) continued to discuss the day’s events. He sat down to explain everything that had transpired at the luncheon. Everyone was happy about the calling, a term jokingly used by Russell’s best friend, Horace Craig.

Craig and Jimmy had been roommates at Alabama State, a predominantly black university, and they enrolled in law school around the same time. Unlike Jimmy, Craig worked for the Birmingham Water Works Board instead of beginning a career in teaching.

Among the smiles and congratulations, there was a mix of cautious optimism and foreboding in that room. We all knew there would be excitement and danger if Jimmy took on this challenge. Still, there was reason to celebrate in the office that day, which was a day I’ll never forget.

The law office was located in the Civil Rights District of downtown Birmingham. The district includes the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, where four little girls were killed in a bomb blast on September 15, 1963.

The Civil Rights Institute is located across the street from the historic church. Kelly Ingram Park, where rallies were held during the civil rights demonstrations in the early 1960s, is situated next to those landmarks.

Birmingham has changed a great deal since those days. In the 1960s, the city was a bustling, thriving metropolis with thousands of people employed in the steel industry. The population was nearing four hundred thousand, and the city was growing. Many families depended on the steel industry for their economic security.

The downtown district was a major shopping mecca. People from surrounding counties traveled to Birmingham to shop in the large department stores and dine in the nice restaurants, but black folks were not allowed inside the restaurants in those days.

We learned quite a bit about that period from some of the instructors at the college I attended. Several faculty members were students then and took part in demonstrations during 1962 and 1963. As far as economics was concerned, Birmingham was doing very well.

The Birmingham during Russell’s gubernatorial campaign is a different animal. First of all, the steel industry is a mere shadow of what it was then. One of the largest plants, which is located in a section of Birmingham called Ensley, has closed down completely. It had employed hundreds of men and women. The huge plant in Fairfield, a suburb west of Birmingham, had employed thousands, but now it employs around 1,500 people.

The decline in steel production is attributed to the appearance of cheap steel that flooded the market. South Korea, Japan, and China got into the steel-making business during the eighties and nineties. Workers in those countries were paid low wages in some cases, which allowed for cheaper steel prices.

Birmingham has a service-oriented economy today. One of the largest employers is UAB Hospital, and health-related industries in the area employ many more. There are also numerous financial-service businesses in the region.

With the revitalization movement, the Magic City is still going through changes. Oh, the city got that nickname because it seemingly sprang up overnight. Some people said it came out of nowhere—as if by magic.

The city’s population dropped dramatically during the late eighties and nineties. In addition to white flight,