Photo By Marcy Sanchez | (From left to right) Col. John A. Smyrski III, commander, William Beaumont Army...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas - William Beaumont Army Medical Center Soldiers and staff observed “a day on” in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at WBAMC, Jan. 21.
Participants welcomed the Rev. James O. Price Jr., a civil rights activist and acquaintance of King. In 1968, after the assassination of King, Price was selected to serve as an honor guard for King’s funeral and stood at the head of the casket during the wake.
“I’m honored that I was asked to speak in front of the Soldiers,” said Price, a native of Atlanta. “I have respect and love for Soldiers because I know what they do.”
Growing up in segregated Atlanta was challenging for Price and his siblings. During the 60s, Price and his sister, Toni, were part of a group of African-Americans who were the first to desegregate various high schools in the area. As a child, Price asked his mother why services, businesses and amenities were segregated, and why guidelines existed governing their lives and social position.
“My mother did what she could to cushion [segregation],” said Price. “Later on she said she did not want to plant the seed of inferiority or racial difference at such an early age.”
As Price and his sister matured, they began noticing segregation in the city and the biased rules that excluded them from certain privileges.
“As we would go to the lunch counter, we would see the colored and white signs,” said Price. “We became painfully aware of the situation and how things were at the time.”
Price said in the 50s and 60s when the civil rights movement started, it ignited something in Atlanta and in his family. Early on, Price’s family was active in civil rights movements. Price’s mother had close ties with the King family even babysitting King and his sister as children.
Moved by the acts of nonviolent resistance demonstrated by influential figures such as King and Rosa Parks, Price and his family felt obliged to stand up for righteousness and equality.
“We got involved early and it was tough because there were those who did not want to change,” said Price. “We were told we were mentally inferior. Even as we transitioned to integrated schools we were told we would not do well.”
Price saw segregation as a challenge. An alumnus of Morehouse College in Atlanta, also King’s alma mater, Price was active in many civil rights movements on campus.
In the '60s, Price and his sister organized a boycott of a store that was part of a national chain. The store was located in a dominantly black neighborhood but did not employ African Americans.
“My sister and I as teenagers would ask, ‘Why don’t you have blacks?’” said Price. “We were thrown out of the store, so we came back with signs and boycotts. Eventually, things changed.”
“[The observance] is a great opportunity to pause and think back on our history and learn from our history as we move forward,” said Col. John A. Smyrski III, commander, WBAMC. “My goal is for everyone to care for each other. Part of that is understanding where each of us came from and how we affect each other.”
While the observance remembered civil rights struggles and movements of the 50s and 60s, Soldiers and staff were reminded to make every day, “a day on, not a day off.”
“One person can make a significant difference,” said Smyrski. “If you make it your goal to make a difference in someone’s life each and everyday, think of the impact in the community and throughout the world.”
| Date Taken: | 02.04.2016 |
| Date Posted: | 02.04.2016 17:52 |
| Story ID: | 187946 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TX, US |
| Hometown: | ATLANTA, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 45 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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