Civil Rights Movement was personally significant
I enjoyed the insightful Jan. 18 article on the Civil Rights Movement in Washington and Southwestern Pennsylvania more generally. I was somewhere in the photo that was published of the demonstration in Washington and still recall composing our letters and marching down Main Street. I also recall comments made by white bystanders who were astonished that “there were so many colored people in Washington.”
The article mentions the role of some guidance counselors in thwarting ambitions. Even though I made A’s and A+’s in virtually every class I took in my 12 years of study in the Washington public school system, consistently scored in the 99th percentile on all standardized tests, was in the “accelerated” program, which allowed me to take college-level biology and math, and graduated with high honors, my primary guidance counselor told me to forget about going to a university. She urged me to find a job and try to attend a local junior college. Fortunately, I had the benefit of another, more supportive counselor, and a number of very supportive teachers who urged me to strive for the best and pledged their continued support.
I especially recall the efforts of Washington High School math teacher Vincent DiBello, who was both an exceptional instructor and an incredibly supportive mentor. I eventually went to the University of Chicago, one of the most selective universities in the country, and was able to pass out of my first year of math, due largely, I believe, to DiBello’s instruction.
Due also to the efforts of my family – my parents taught me to read and write long before I entered school – the strong educational values promoted by Washington’s African-American community and the support of the community at Nazareth Baptist Church, I went on to obtain a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. I eventually became a professor at UCLA and am also now a vice provost there. Many of my fellow African American graduates from Wash High (and there weren’t very many of us then) also went on to very successful careers.
Of course, none of this would have been possible without the Civil Rights Movement and the activists on all levels – including our own local movement – that contributed to the cause. Thank you for highlighting these individuals and the significance of the movement.
M. Belinda Tucker
Los Angeles
Editor’s note: M. Belinda Tucker is the vice provost for UCLA’s Institute of American Cultures.