By Marie Pfeifer
Black History Month has offered some inspirational events in Greater Morristown; a fascinating one was the Bickford Theatre’s screening of Chanceman’s Brothers & Sisters: The Origins of the 20th Century Morris County Black Community.
The documentary gave a glimpse of African-American life in Morris County before the passage of civil rights legislation in the 1960s.
“Chanceman” is James Gregory (1897-1959), who in 1934 became the first African-American police officer in Morristown. A chanceman was an auxiliary officer, which is how Gregory got his start on the police force.
Black History Month traditionally is a time to look back. Many people question why we continue to dwell on the past; they suggest we should move forward.
But Professor Monifa Brinson-Mulraine reminded film attendees last Sunday: “If we don’t continually look at the past, we cannot see how far we have come and what we need to do in the future to change what needs to be changed.”
“This is the 80th anniversary of the formation of the Morris County branch of the NAACP. It was begun in 1931 by 21 citizens of the area of Morristown, known as ‘the hollow,’” remarked Keith Bodden, president of the Morris County Branch of the NAACP.
“Our goal is still the basic tenets of the NAACP founded in 1909 — economic development, support of youth scholarships, mentoring our youth and assistance into technical schools and colleges. We also continue to support laws against segregation,” he said.
The film was produced by County College of Morris Professor Rita Heller, historian Jeanette Wright and the County College of Morris Board of Governors.
Richard Russo, vice president of the Morris County Branch of the NAACP and chairperson of the day’s event, introduced the film.
“It captured a period of time when socio-economic and cultural changes were happening quickly. The film isn’t a story about the color of people, it is the story of us,” he said.
The film tells the story of how African Americans living and working in Morris County developed a community and a life for themselves and their families. Their stories speak to the strength of character and the tenacious ability of a people who against all odds not only made a living but became a part of the upper middle class.
They educated their children and provided them with values passed down through the generations. Their faith and participation in their spiritual community is a foundation for their continued success in life.
The United States traditionally has been populated by migrating people. Many came here willingly, seeking a more prosperous life; others were brought as slaves.
It’s been a continuing struggle for black Americans to succeed among a white majority while maintaining their own culture and identity.
In the film, four Morris County people tell their stories about the obstacles they faced while overcoming discrimination.
Local black historian and caterer John Shaw Pinkman, whose family was part of the “great migration” from the South between World War I and the mid-1960s, reminisced about the Boydton Institute, from which his mother graduated.
Boydton was a Reconstruction-era school for freed black slaves in Mecklenburg County, VA. Founded by a group of white Presbyterians, it educated and encouraged its students to move North. Local white Presbyterians served as trustees of Boydton and encouraged the students to migrate and settle in Morris County where the economy was prospering.
Pinkman’s father and uncle proved themselves as entrepreneurs when they started a company specializing in piano moving. The Pinkmans spent part of their summers in Morristown and the rest of the year in Newark, as upper middle-class families did at the time.
Robert Banks of Boonton became the first black police chief in Morris County amidst much controversy. He tested higher than the other applicants and advised his fellow African Americans: “If you want something you have to study and work hard to prove yourself.”
When Gwendolyn Boyce Squire’s father was refused a mortgage by the Boonton Bank, he began digging the foundation himself. Symbolically, it was the foundation of his life. A man of great pride, he quit working for an employer who didn’t allow him to bring along his young daughter when he chauffeured the employer to the train station.
Squire learned to believe in herself and follow her dream from her father. She overcame discrimination and taught school for more than 30 years.
Jesse Evans, a World War II hero who died in 1996, worked at Picatiny Arsenal as its only black engineer. Many African Americans served during the war, even though the society they were defending had traditionally denied them their Constitutional rights.
Evans showed his heroism when he jumped overboard from his ship to save three inebriated white sailors from drowning, and was awarded a non-combat medal. He was one of two black military men to achieve this award.
Yet Evans still was denied seating in the orchestra section of local movie theaters. He does not take credit for a decision he and his friends made to throw popcorn and candy into the orchestra section below them. As the story goes, the theater manager threw up his hands and allowed the youths to sit anywhere they wanted.
Professor Mulraine encouraged all African Americans to tell their stories.
“The stories in this film are inspirational stories. I encourage all of you to tell your stories because other people need to hear your biography. By telling and sharing your stories of how you followed your dreams, you can give someone else the skills not only to proceed, but to succeed.”
READ MORE ABOUT BLACK HISTORY MONTH
