Schools
Our Lady of Sorrows Closes Out Black History Month
Two grandfathers of OLS students — both of whom happen to be local judges — spoke of growing up black in an America in turmoil.
Our Lady of Sorrows School capped Black History Month with a talk by Judge F. Michael Giles and Judge Harold W Fullilove. The two men talked about important events in black history — starting with Harry S Truman's desegregating the armed forces — and how it effected them as youths.
Judge Fullilove told the students about Emmett Till, the black 14-year-old Chicago boy who was beaten and killed by white men while visiting his family in Mississippi in 1955 — because he'd spoken to a white woman.
The next summer Fullilove, who was raised in Newark, was sent to visit his family in the South. At 10 years of age, he went fearfully, remembering the fate of Emmett. In 1963, his brother was part of the the Freedom Riders, those who went to the South in a non-violent effort for civil rights.
Born and raised in New York City, Judge Giles told of his visit to the South as a teen and seeing the signs for "colored only" drinking fountains, bathroom and dining areas. When he went to the movies, he had to sit in a segregated section - something he didn't have to do at home.
Both Judges are grandfathers of children at Our Lady of Sorrows.
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