b'Susie Taylor Honored as TeacherS usieKingTaylorwasfinallyhonoredforBlack. forawoman-namedsquare,said teaching Black children to read and write "Itstime Susie King Taylor, the first Black educator toPattGunn,aSavannahtourguidewholeda formallyteachenslavedstudentshowtoreadgroup of activists that pushed for three years to andwrite,whichwaslargelyforbiddenthen,have the square renamed for Taylor.will be honored with a statue installed in one ofTaylor is the first Black woman to adorn one of Savannah\'s town squares, replacing the statue ofSavannahs 23 squares. John C. Calhoun, who supported slavery. TheSavannahCityCouncilhasapproveda As early as the 1710s slaves received Biblicalname change for one of the picturesque, park-literacy from their White masters. Enslaved writ- like squares that are treasured features of the er Phillis Wheatley was taught in the home of heroriginal plan for the city founded in 1733.master, but most Whites were opposed to BlackIts one thing to make history. Its something literacy because they believed it would threatenelsetomakesense.Andinthiscase,were the slave system. makingboth,SavannahMayorVanJohnson Taylor\'sstatuewillreplacethatofCalhoun,said. He noted that five Black women sit on the a former U.S. Vice President, whose name hasnine-member city council, something people of reigned over Calhouns Square for 170 years.Taylors era never could have fathomed.The Savannah City Council voted last NovemberCity officials stripped any signs with Calhouns to eliminate the name Calhoun Square followingnamefromthesquareimmediatelyfollowing a campaign that argued he was unworthy of thethat first vote. The space sat nameless for nine honor in a city where 54% of the population ismonthsascityhallcol-lectedrecommendations for a new name. Ms.TaylorbecametheSusie TaylorIts one thing to make history. Itsfirst Black teacher to edu-cate African Americans in something else to make sense. And inGeorgia. opened public schools. Ms Taylor later worked as this case, were making both, SavannahIn1866,SusieKinga maid for wealthy families.Taylorandherhus- SheservedasaUnionArmynursewithout Mayor Van Johnson said. He notedband,Edward,movedpay.Shealsowroteabookaboutherexperi-toSavannah,whereMs.enceswithBlacktroops.Thebookistitled that five Black women sit on the nine- TayloropenedaschoolReminiscences of My Life in Camp with the 33d for African-American chil- UnitedStatesColoredTroops,Late1stS.C. member city council, something peopledren.EdwarddiedafewVolunteers.monthsbeforetheirfirst Recently,FortPolk,namedafterLt.Gen. of Taylors era never could havechild was born.byLeonidasPolk,aConfederatecommanderwho Ms.Taylorscraped wantedBlackpeopletoremainenslaved,has fathomed. asaneducatorforsev- beenrenamedFortWilliamHenryJohnson. eral years, repeatedly los- Johnson was a Black man and a World War I ing studentsand much- Medal of Honor recipient.needed incometo newly SCRIPTURETurning the Other Cheek has had its DayT urn the other cheek, Dr. Martinadisputeoveradocksideparkingracial lines in a city with both a his-LutherKingJr.usedtourgespot. The dispute quickly escalatedtory of racial violence and a proud Black men and Black women to dointo a widespread melee in which,place in the civil rights movement. when they were slapped and beat- accordingtoonewitness,aracialReggie Ray, 42, turned himself in enbyWhites.Thisdirectivecameslur was used. forattackingtheriverboatco-cap-toascreechinghaltafterBlack"You could hear men \'yelling fucktain. His surrender came days after men kicked and beat White men inthatnigger,\'"astheBlackco-cap- law enforcement requested he come Montgomery,Alabama,lastweektaintriedtomoveapontoonboatforward. Mary Todd, 21, turned her-aftertheyattackedaBlackmanoccupyingtheriverboat\'sdockingselfinThursdayandwascharged who was simply doing his job. location, the mother of a victim inwithmisdemeanorthird-degree BlackmenandBlackwomenthealtercationallegedinaswornassault.MPDsaidToddisbeing hailedthefightandcheeredthestatement to police. held at the Montgomery Municipal victory. However,policestillbelievetheJail. Todd\'s arrest follows those of WhenIwasgrowingup,somebrawlwasnotraciallymotivated,RichardRoberts,48,AllenTodd, Black men would say if you turnedandtheco-captainsaidasmuch23, and Zachary Shipman, 29, and theothercheek,Whiteswouldhitwheninterviewedbyauthori- RichardRoberts,allofwhomface you with their other fists.tiesasecondtime,Albertsaidoncharges of assault. AbrawlbrokeoutonSaturday,Wednesday. Montgomeryalsowasthesitesonto December 20, 1956, when August5,inMontgomery\'sMontgomeryPoliceChiefDarrylofthelongestbusboycottinthethefederalrulinginBowdervs. Riverfront Park. AlbertsaidtheyweretakenintoUnited States. Gaylettookeffect,andledtoa The fight between those charged,custody earlier this week. ThecampaignlastedfromUnited States Supreme Court deci-whowereidentifiedbyauthoritiesTheincident,whichwascaughtDecember5,1955theMondaysion that declared the Alabama and as White men and a Black co-cap- on video and has captured nationalafterRosaParkswasarrestedMontgomerylawsthatsegregated tainofariverboat,stemmedfromattention, largely broke down alongforherrefusaltosurrenderherbuseswereunconstitutional.The seat on a city bus to a white per- buses were from Chicago.18 SEPTEMBER 2023 BOCNEWS.com'