In 1947, a Mississippi association of African-American teachers decided to pool their resources and sue the state for pay and benefits equal to that of their white counterparts. After Gladys Noel Bates agreed to be named the plaintiff, her contract was not renewed and she and her husband were unable to find work as teachers anywhere in the South.
In this extended version of last week's radio broadcast, hear details of how the group was able to keep news of the pending suit secret and how she was isolated from her peers after it made national headlines.
Mrs. Bates passed away on Oct. 15th, 2010 in Denver, Colorado where she enjoyed a long and successful career in public education.
Here is a favorite of ours from June 2009, featuring Southern Miss coach and first full-time Athletic Director, Reed Green.
On November 9th, 1965 a power outage plunged New York City into darkness during rush hour. Clarksdale native, George Falls was in a helicopter with Holiday Inn founder, Kemmons Wilson when the lights went out. He recalls the ride back to New York City in total darkness and the way people made the best of a bad situation. This extended cut gives many more details than the original radio version.