An African American Woman’s Childhood in Segregated Southeast Texas

By Hortense Emma Kilpatrick

A nonfiction genre publication written in a storytelling format, Hortense Kilpatrick’s powerful and riveting memoir An African American Woman’s Childhood in Segregated Southeast Texas is a uniquely important book about a segregated community’s response to the era known as Jim Crow of the South. Born during the height of racial segregation, Kilpatrick’s early childhood story serves to provide context and lends her voice to the important role played by the academic institution known as Prairie View A&M College of Texas during her formative years. Her book is a compelling story about opportunities, empowerment, values transmission, determination, perseverance, and triumph.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664186637

Book preview

Copyright © 2021 by Hortense Emma Kilpatrick.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only. Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

Rev. date: 10/26/2021

Xlibris

844-714-8691

www.Xlibris.com

833110

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

SECTION I: 19th CENTURY ANCESTRAL HISTORY

Madison Matthew Kilpatrick (1829-1910)

The Extinguishing of Ancestral Connections

Coming to Texas at the Beginning of the Civil War

Coming Into His Own During Reconstruction

From Emancipated Slave to Elected Public Servant

A 19th Century Texan’s Legacy

Timeline

SECTION II: THE ERA OF RACIAL SEGREGATION

A Remnant of a Different Form of Slavery

Early Childhood Encounters with Racial Segregation

Going to Town

The Chamber Potty

The Greyhound Bus

The Balcony

The Emory R. Owens Family

Negro Day at the State Fair

SECTION III: SENSE OF SPIRIT PLACE

Founding of the College

SECTION IV: SENSE OF PLACE

A Remarkable Life

Mission of Families

College and Community Partnership

A Proud, Self-Sustaining Community

Nexus of Influence

SECTION V: SENSE OF PLACE SETTING

The Stately Live Oak Tree

The Yellow, Two-Story House

SECTION VI: BIRTH FAMILY

My Father

My Mother

My Birth

Curly Locks

The Stork

The House Next Door

The Dazzling Women

First-Generation Kilpatrick Women

Daughters of Madison Matthew and Elizabeth Bradford-Kilpatrick

Second-Generation Kilpatrick Women

Daughters of William Thomas and Mary Lewis-Kilpatrick

Daughters of Robert Lincoln and Eugene Freeman-Kilpatrick

Daughters of Collie Wendell and Emma Lois Kirby-Kilpatrick

Third-Generation Kilpatrick Woman

Daughter of Madison Lionel and Alice Mae Johnson-Kilpatrick

Fourth-Generation Kilpatrick Woman

Daughter of Kollye Wendell and Beverly Ann Dykes-Kilpatrick

SECTION VII: MASTERING STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT

Kindergarten (Age, five)

Mason’s Inn

Red Leggings

The Rosenwald Training School

(Ages, six to ten)

Beginning First Grade

Open Heart

Investment

Movies at the Auditorium-Gymnasium

W.R. Banks Library

Getting My Balance

The Wonder of Christmas

Two Unexpected Events

A New Language

Piano Lessons

Tap Dance Lessons

Sources of Empowerment

Middle School (Ages 11–13)

Girl Scouts

High School (Ages 14-17)

The Marshall E. Williams Family

The Operetta

The Couturier Designer

College Years (Ages 17–21)

Beginning College

The Debutante Ball

The 28th Homecoming Queen

The Black and White Ball

Three O’clock Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Military Drills

Internship in the President’s Office

The Research Professor

On My Way

SECTION VIII: DREAMS DO COME TRUE

Atop the Hill

Washington Square Arch

The Light

London Towne House

Closing

Bibliography

This book is dedicated to

children around the world

and

the power of their stories.

Acknowledgments

I am reminded of novelist Anaïs Nin and her observation, We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect. In search of the why for me, that moment increasingly represented a perfect time of unfoldment. My season of ripeness, clarity, and urgency had arrived.

I had the good fortune of growing up in a small residential community of Southeast Texas. That community was nestled around the state’s first public-supported institution of higher education for African Americans, now known as Prairie View A&M University.

During the height of racial segregation, primarily of the American South, my quest for lifelong learning was ignited in an academic environment previously known as Prairie View A&M College of Texas. In giving voice to my story, many were with me along my path and were immeasurably helpful in the publication of this book.

From the time that I began kindergarten and later attended the Rosenwald School that was located on the college campus of Prairie View, I acknowledge with the deepest gratitude the late George Ruble Woolfolk an acclaimed historian and distinguished scholar. His untiring contributions as a public servant to the state of Texas are forever etched in the annals of history. His unparalleled publication titled "Prairie View: A Study in Public Conscience 1878–1946," was a valuable and important source as I penned my early life’s experience. I remember him fondly as a great intellect and man of ideas. Words are too few to speak or write about how deeply he cared for the academic institution of Prairie View.

I acknowledge Ann Kellett who was an important and reliable source. She proved to be a brainstorming guru. Mostly, I remember her for gently encouraging me to embrace the art of storytelling. Having an idea and turning it into a book is as hard as it sounds. Because Ann was readily accessible to me, that made all the difference in navigating this important transition. One day, something broke through. Ann said, Hortense, you are the director of your compelling story. With that, I immediately began imagining myself sitting in a film director’s chair where the best of creativity and artistic expression happens. Viewing my unique story through that lens set me on a course to master what was before me. For her sage wisdom about writing section seven of this publication from a developmental perspective, the story’s centerpiece, I am forever grateful to her.

I acknowledge Jennifer E. Cross who serves on the faculty at Colorado State University. Her significant research, What is Sense of Place? prepared for the 12th Headwaters Conference (2001) at Western State College was of enormous value in providing a useful framework to conceptualize the component parts of my story. Her thoughtful research enabled me to visualize the natural environment of my childhood, the college community where I grew up, and people of influence in profound ways. By drawing upon her research, I was enabled to push forward in telling the totality of my truth.

I thank the W.K. Kellogg Foundation for granting permission to use an image from the publication titled An Experience in Health Education (1950). I especially acknowledge Michele Coleman and Kathy Reincke, who gave voice to the value of my story.

There are often people who show up in unexpected ways. I’d like to extend special thanks to Rae Bryant, an amazing and dedicated genealogist. During early spring of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and leading to the Women’s Suffrage Centennial, Rae was visiting the Houston area to conduct research with a focus on identifying contributions made by Texas African American women to the Suffrage Movement. After casting a wide net, she and I connected. As it turns out, Rae was an invaluable source. Her genealogical tracing led her on a remarkable path to unearth data about a Kilpatrick-born woman of the mid-19th and early 20th centuries who was named Exa Olivia. She was a voice of conscience and tireless advocate in the battle for racial and gender equality in Freedmen’s Town of Houston, Texas. I am grateful to Rae for identifying and sharing research that allowed me to document, more comprehensively, this important part of my personal history.

For his service to the United States Armed Forces and as a graduate of Prairie View A&M College of Texas, I acknowledge Maj. Harold S. Bonner, USA, Retired. I thank him for taking the time to review the publication’s story titled Three O’clock Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps Military Drills. For his willingness to highlight the historical origins of the AROTC at Prairie View and including stipulations as set forth under the Morrill Land-Grant Act (1862), I am very grateful to him.

I acknowledge Georgette Sinkler who serves on the faculty at the University of Illinois, Chicago Campus. Because she spent part of her early childhood in the community of Prairie View, Texas, I respected her unique insight and perspectives. I appreciate her excellent commentary, enormously.

For intercepting my many telephone calls, I acknowledge my nephew Madison Lionel III who is a treasured branch of the Kilpatrick family tree. I can’t help but feel grateful to him for inspiring me to envision my book of legacies being wrapped and accented with an exquisite bow, then released to the world as a gift of labor and love. My heart is still smiling!

I am immensely grateful to friends and graduates of Prairie View A&M College of Texas: Charlotte Young Burton, Roslyn Mayo Hagger, Jessie Blackwell Palmer, Cecelia Phillip Moore, and Marion Childress Usher for their much-appreciated support and long-lasting friendship.

I acknowledge the incredible and talented women of Xlibris Publishing especially Faye, Renee, Elaine, and Hazel. I thank them for the graciousness and humanness they showed me. In every respect, I was treated with utmost high regard, dignity, and respect.

Finally, I acknowledge the proud descendants of the Dazzling Women. As keepers of important data and documents, I thank them for sharing these with me. Together, we share a common bond of kinship tied to a long and cherished ancestral history. They are the daughters, sons, granddaughters, and grandsons of Kilpatrick-born women of the 19th and 20th centuries:

Mary Ethel, daughter of Ada Taminnia; Harvey George Jr., (dec.), son of Ada Taminnia); Betty Jo, daughter of Tommie Lyona; Henrietta Eugene, (dec.), daughter of Ira Aldridge); Maria Louisa, granddaughter of Ira Aldridge; Ernest Franklin Jr., grandson of Ira Aldridge; Lynn Cleo, daughter of Lenora Louise; Beverly Jo, daughter of Elizabeth Elaine; Carolyn Nan, daughter of Elizabeth Elaine; Xavier Roberto, son of Karen Renee’; Qu’Rani, son of Karen Renee’; and Ja’Mira, daughter of Karen Renee’.

Also, I acknowledge June Marlene, (dec.), daughter of Phyllis Teola; Frieda Avis, (dec.), daughter of Phyllis Teola; Joyce, daughter of Mayme Odessa; Loyce Elaine, (dec.), daughter of Carlie Wendell; Carlie Joyce, daughter of Carlie Wendell; Joseph Daniel 111, son of Carlie Wendell; and Charles Allen, son of Carlie Wendell.

Introduction

T his is a never-before-told story about the pathway of a young girl who spent the first 21 years of her life growing up in the lower Coastal Plains geographic region of Texas. Buttressed by a rich and storied 19th century ancestral history, and a birth family who anchored and infused her with core moral and humanitarian values, she was fortunate to have bedrock support that allowed her to have a healthy childhood and to feel cared about with warmth and affection.

That young girl was me!

I was privileged to have a full range of institutional elements, including an opportunity-focused and mission-driven community and a solid family who had deep roots in the prairie verdant grasslands of the state. Lucky in so many ways, I was offered the opportunity to spend my early childhood in the historic academic environment known as Prairie View A&M College of Texas, where my quest for learning was ignited. In the place setting of Prairie View, windows were opened for intellectual curiosity, mastery, and empowerment.

These three elements of influence enabled me to develop a strong sense of belonging where I felt connected as a child. Upon this foundation, I was set on a path to experience all that was engaging, enriching, and with the freedom to soar.

With a bright tapestry of exceptional role models, teachers, cherished early childhood friendships, and a large extended family who spoke words of promise while doting on me, I was affirmed with a sense of value and gender-based worth.

Born during the height of racial segregation, and given the social climate of dark ideological beliefs including legally enforced segregation outside the borders of the Prairie View community, my pathway forward might have been different had it not been for a lifeline of opportunities and experiences afforded me during my formative years.

Viewing my personal history from a holistic perspective reminds me of others who shaped and influenced my remarkable journey. With absolute certainty and conviction, I acknowledge the power of their support. Thus, my memoir is not only about me but also about them. Accordingly, my story serves to honor those who crossed my path in profound and meaningful ways during my developmental years.

This memoir has eight sections:

SECTION I: 19th Century Ancestral History. The recording of my early life’s experience would not be complete without acknowledging how I came to be. This section provides a glimpse into the life and adventure of an incredible man who aspired to fulfill a vision lodged deep inside him: to carve out a life in an uncharted territory of American history.

Born into chattel slavery during the early 19th century, Madison Matthew Kilpatrick navigated his way prior to and during the American Civil War and the period of Reconstruction. He not only observed America’s early progress as a nation but also became an active contributor to state of Texas history. His legendary story, as a Texan, set a high bar for six generations of descendants that followed.

SECTION II: The Era of Segregation, highlights the historical period in the United States that commenced in the late 19th century, after Reconstruction, and until the enactment of the historic Civil Rights Act of 1964. Racial segregation or what was known as Jim Crow permeated everyday life for African Americans particularly in accessing facilities of public space. Six stories, of this publication, document my early childhood encounters with the phenomenon of racial discrimination. As a young child, my conscious awareness began evolving: an awareness of two separate and unequal Americas based upon skin color: a Black world and a white world.

SECTION III: Sense of Spirit Place, as used here, refers to a combination of characteristics that give a special feel to a place of history, an identity with that history, cultural shared meanings to that history, and personal connectivity to that history. This section, therefore, is about a sacred historical place and reverence toward that place characterized by its long and significant history in the state of Texas. Originating out of landmark federal and state legislation after the American Civil War, and during the period of Reconstruction, the academic institution of higher education now known as Prairie View A&M University was founded in 1876 and established in 1878.

Growing up, I found a symbol of Spirit Place in the first state-supported institution of higher education for African Americans in Texas, previously known during my childhood as Prairie View A&M College of Texas.

SECTION IV: Sense of Place, has reference to one’s perceptions, feeling state, personal orientation, relationships, or personal attachment to a place. This section as used here focuses on an individual’s or group’s sense of attachment to a special place.

Nestled around Prairie View A&M College of Texas could be found the residential community of Prairie View. It was a special place where strong bonds were forged, family ties nurtured and deepened, values transmitted, and friendships developed through a shared mission and history. Foremost, it was a power center for creating opportunities to unleash the potential of children. In partnership with the college, the community became a model for the realization of self-actualization, promise, and lifelong learning.

A Sense of Place best characterized the feelings of children and families who lived in the community of Prairie View.

SECTION V: Sense of Place Setting, refers to a person’s immediate surroundings primarily filtered through the senses of sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste. A sense of place encompasses both physical and social elements. Thus, this section describes the place setting where I spent my childhood. My sense of place was characterized by living next to nature, seeing rows of freshly turned farmlands, and breathtaking wildflowers of the state. Growing up next to nature in Texas inoculated me with a sense of harmony, balance, and unwavering respect for diversity.

SECTION VI: Birth Family, is about my pathway through those experiences that I enjoyed with my incredible father, mother, brothers, and paternal grandmother. The foundation they built enabled me to prioritize education, develop a sense of integrity, personal worth, wholeness, and a thirst for adventure.

This section also highlights the incredible Dazzling Women of my family. Born of the 19th and early to mid-20th centuries, these women were an important part of my early childhood. Their life’s work and contributions to the state of Texas tell a stellar story.

SECTION VII: Mastering Stages of Development, provides a developmental trajectory of the myriad educational and social opportunities afforded me commencing with preschool and culminating with my college years while attending Prairie View A&M College of Texas.

SECTION VIII: Dreams Do Come True, is about an American girl of African descent who grew up in the rural agrarian South, where I developed a sense of attachment and rootedness. Later, I realized my innermost dreams in another place that offered a richer and deeper life, marked by opportunities for advanced professional studies, remarkable career experiences, engaging with peers from around the world, and enjoying the wonders of adventure beyond the South.

These elements of support, and many others, set me on a path to realizing my dreams.

HEK

SECTION I

19th CENTURY ANCESTRAL HISTORY

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Madison Matthew Kilpatrick

Madison Matthew Kilpatrick (1829-1910)

H e began his life 112 years prior to my birth. A glimpse into his storied and incredible life enabled me to be enormously proud of his remarkable journey. I would have been honored to know him. He was my paternal great-grandfather.

Prior to the 1865 passage of the Emancipation Proclamation, which freed slaves in the United States, Madison Matthew Kilpatrick lived, worked, and survived while being owned by another. He enjoyed no property rights, no constitutional protection, no legal rights, no legal rights to marriage, and little to no social mobility. Consequently, an imprisoned way of life became Madison’s reality.

Grounded in the principles of property law, this ownership model empowered slaveholders to not only own African human beings, but also to legally buy and sell enslaved men, women, and children as commodities. Engrained in the social, political, and economic fabric of America, the institution of African slavery was