Meet Mr. and Mrs. Boynton, Civil Rights movement activists
Article by Grace. Transcription by Booker, Graham and AudreyWhile we were in Selma, AL, the seventh- and eighth-grade class had the chance to meet Bruce and Betty Boynton, two Civil Rights activists. Bruce Boynton comes from a family of courageous and selfless people: his mother Amelia Boynton was beaten unconscious and gassed in the violence on Bloody Sunday. His father was a rich man who built schools for his kids and other African American children in their community in addition to building a cemetery for the community. Betty Boynton was a young girl when she volunteered herself to be a part of the Civil Rights movement. At the time, she was only fifteen, but even though there were dangers, she still participated in marches and helped plan events. Here are some of the questions we got to ask the Boyntons and their responses.
Mrs. Boynton describing the night that James Reeb was murdered: BETTY: Reverend Reeb, you know, Reeb, he came out of a restaurant downtown and he got beaten… He did not die right then, but he did die after that. MARY: Did you know Reverend Reeb? Did you know him well? BETTY: No, but I did know about him. […] When he got killed, I was like, fifteen years old. MARY: Did you know the Klansmen who beat him to death? BETTY: I did not know them but […] there was a black lady. One day, you know, she was at work, and they come in and wrench out their sticks, their billy clubs… And she, on that very day, talked, and said what they had done. She was the one—I don’t know her name, it’s been so long—she was the one. They was looking for Jesse Jackson, [and H.] Rap Brown. And they was […] down at Brown Chapel church, and they run, on that back porch. And she saw them there. She said, “Come on, come on!” And after she discovered they was with SNCC, that’s when she told them who these men was. That’s how they could find [James Reeb’s murderers] and take them to court. Even though they didn’t do anything. [Smirks] |
More student articles about the Boyntons |
Later, as the conversation moved to Bloody Sunday:
GRACE: What was your reaction to seeing your mother, unconscious in pictures of Bloody Sunday?
BRUCE: […] I had not been allowed to look at the pictures until I got my license, in ‘66, but my mother called us that night because I had never seen the photos, and said that she was not hurt by anything, of any sort. […] I was just as concerned for her. But I will tell you this: shortly after that, I got a call from a black folk, and he said, “Mr. Boynton, we are as concerned as you are about your mother.” I said, “Well, yes, I am very concerned about my mother.” And then he said, “We want to assassinate Sheriff Jim Clark, and we would like somebody who knows the lay of the land to help us out.” I told him that I was equally concerned, but I didn’t fight violence against violence. And he cursed me and hung up. But I say, I saved Sheriff Jim Clark.
On racism in Selma today:
SOFIA: Is there a place in Selma that reminds you of the old Selma?
BRUCE: Well, yes, there is. I don’t expect that it changed. However, I have a fond memory of this place: the Selma Country Club, which is a white country club. But growing up, I had an older brother, ten years old, that my parents loved lots. I had two friends who stayed next door to me, and they caddied; they allowed me to go with them to the club. This was back in the 40s.
On how we can keep the spirit of the Civil Rights movement alive:
RUBY: Is there anything we can do to carry on your legacy of equality amongst everybody?
BRUCE: Well, that is really a good question. I tell ya what. Because, my God, with the Native Americans […] We’ve taken everything that the Native Americans hold dear, in this country. […] And all because of that document of discovery [a document in the Columbian era that granted European countries political authority to invade other lands and claim everything for themselves], which equated your loyalty [if you were part of a conquered native population] to being superior to all other races—other than whites. […] Our history has been the same: it started with them taking and colonizing Africa, then colonizing America. But to get back to your question. […] Be aware of problems in this country. Based on the beliefs of white supremacy, we got a president of the United States who believes that he’s supreme because he’s white. And he is allowed to get away with that, because others believe the same thing. But we still have the same law, just like we had in the 60s in the movement. And the only thing you have to do is to be aware of the problems, and then when you have an opportunity, fight for that.
During the interview, Mr. and Mrs. Boynton reminded us that it is important to learn about history. Mr. Boynton’s extensive knowledge of history and things like the document of discovery drew connections between events that explained why history unfolded as tragically as it did. Learning about the mistakes we’ve made can help us to avoid making the same mistakes in the future, and Mr. Boynton repeated this idea in his command that we stand up for Native Americans. Mrs. Boynton also firmly upheld the value of history, claiming that “they don’t teach black history,” so we should try and learn all we can about it so we can teach other people. If we don’t, history could repeat itself, and all of the sacrifices people made during the Civil Rights movement would be lost. We also appreciated the fact that people who were a part of these historic moments won’t be around much longer, so we have to talk to them while we still can. Our class was super excited that we got the chance to meet the Boyntons, and we would like to thank them for teaching us so much and for giving us their time.
GRACE: What was your reaction to seeing your mother, unconscious in pictures of Bloody Sunday?
BRUCE: […] I had not been allowed to look at the pictures until I got my license, in ‘66, but my mother called us that night because I had never seen the photos, and said that she was not hurt by anything, of any sort. […] I was just as concerned for her. But I will tell you this: shortly after that, I got a call from a black folk, and he said, “Mr. Boynton, we are as concerned as you are about your mother.” I said, “Well, yes, I am very concerned about my mother.” And then he said, “We want to assassinate Sheriff Jim Clark, and we would like somebody who knows the lay of the land to help us out.” I told him that I was equally concerned, but I didn’t fight violence against violence. And he cursed me and hung up. But I say, I saved Sheriff Jim Clark.
On racism in Selma today:
SOFIA: Is there a place in Selma that reminds you of the old Selma?
BRUCE: Well, yes, there is. I don’t expect that it changed. However, I have a fond memory of this place: the Selma Country Club, which is a white country club. But growing up, I had an older brother, ten years old, that my parents loved lots. I had two friends who stayed next door to me, and they caddied; they allowed me to go with them to the club. This was back in the 40s.
On how we can keep the spirit of the Civil Rights movement alive:
RUBY: Is there anything we can do to carry on your legacy of equality amongst everybody?
BRUCE: Well, that is really a good question. I tell ya what. Because, my God, with the Native Americans […] We’ve taken everything that the Native Americans hold dear, in this country. […] And all because of that document of discovery [a document in the Columbian era that granted European countries political authority to invade other lands and claim everything for themselves], which equated your loyalty [if you were part of a conquered native population] to being superior to all other races—other than whites. […] Our history has been the same: it started with them taking and colonizing Africa, then colonizing America. But to get back to your question. […] Be aware of problems in this country. Based on the beliefs of white supremacy, we got a president of the United States who believes that he’s supreme because he’s white. And he is allowed to get away with that, because others believe the same thing. But we still have the same law, just like we had in the 60s in the movement. And the only thing you have to do is to be aware of the problems, and then when you have an opportunity, fight for that.
During the interview, Mr. and Mrs. Boynton reminded us that it is important to learn about history. Mr. Boynton’s extensive knowledge of history and things like the document of discovery drew connections between events that explained why history unfolded as tragically as it did. Learning about the mistakes we’ve made can help us to avoid making the same mistakes in the future, and Mr. Boynton repeated this idea in his command that we stand up for Native Americans. Mrs. Boynton also firmly upheld the value of history, claiming that “they don’t teach black history,” so we should try and learn all we can about it so we can teach other people. If we don’t, history could repeat itself, and all of the sacrifices people made during the Civil Rights movement would be lost. We also appreciated the fact that people who were a part of these historic moments won’t be around much longer, so we have to talk to them while we still can. Our class was super excited that we got the chance to meet the Boyntons, and we would like to thank them for teaching us so much and for giving us their time.