.jpg) |
| Chambers Elementary, 1980 East Cleveland City School District |
Those Heights neighborhoods are still served by the ECCSD, including a few houses at the end of my street. Caledonia Elementary is less than a mile from my house.
Marcie witnessed the rapid change in demographics that was happening at that time. In 1960, Black citizens only made up 2% of the population of East Cleveland. By the time her white family enrolled in the East Cleveland public schools, the population of the city was 67% Black, and by the time her father was relocated to a church in Akron in 1982, she was a member of EC’s 14% white minority. She recalls she was one of two white kids in her class.
Her memories of the school community, and the church community which played such a large part in her childhood, were that of “warmth and love, a tight community” in which kids were always outside, playing and riding their bikes. They played double-dutch and hand-clapping games and basketball – but the kids were forbidden to play in the ravine behind the elementary school.
They did, of course. They were kids!
She did recall one time some girls wouldn’t let her play with them because, so they said, she was white. Deciding to try a word she had recently thought she heard, Marcie defended herself by saying, “I’m not white – I’m Carnation!”
But the prevailing mood was one of optimism. On of Marcie's fondest memories was the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, and singing The Mamas and The Papas song “There’s a New World Coming” with the school chorus.
She did recall one time some girls wouldn’t let her play with them because, so they said, she was white. Deciding to try a word she had recently thought she heard, Marcie defended herself by saying, “I’m not white – I’m Carnation!”
But the prevailing mood was one of optimism. On of Marcie's fondest memories was the annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, and singing The Mamas and The Papas song “There’s a New World Coming” with the school chorus.
Did you grow up in East Cleveland? Reach out in the comments!
Sources:
Sources:
No comments:
Post a Comment