Martin Luther King Jr. Girard College and cousin Chino

Before moving to Nicetown, we lived in a third floor apartment overlooking Girard College at 22nd and West college.

Girard College was and still is an independent boarding school for orphaned or fatherless children. It used to be only for white male children.

It has evolved, since then to include all children, both boys and girls, and children of all colors. It wasn't always so.

During the Civil Rights movement Girard College was at the center of Philadelphia's struggles for social justice. My parents were directly involved in one of the city's historical events.

 File Photo:Trolley Car

 The apartment that we lived in was a third floor apartment that overlooked the Stone walls that surround the college (see photo below). I remember looking over the wall as a child but was always  more interested with watching for and listening to the PTC Trolley(before Septa it was the Philadelphia Transportation Company), that would screech as it hit the curve right outside my door. I was told that my parents were asked by several news teams if they could take film and photographs from the apartment, since the apartment had the vantage point that they wanted. They agreed of course.

Cecil B Moore was leading the local N.A.A.C.P. and along with A. Phillip Randolf who both were holding civil rights demonstrations at the school.  MLK also visited the twice, the first time was in 1965 when I was just over a year old.

Historical Excerpts below are from
http://northerncity.library.temple.edu/content/timeline

1965: 
February 6: Cecil B. Moore is re-elected President of local NAACP.  Moore sees his re-election as a mandate to make the desegregation of Girard College a top policy priority.

May 1: Led Cecil B. Moore, the NAACP begins picketing at Girard College.

August 3: On a visit to Philadelphia, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., addresses demonstrators at Girard College.

December 16: A suit challenging Girard College’s admissions policy is filed in U.S. District Court by city and state officials, as well as the mothers of seven African-American boys seeking admission to the school.  The next day, picketing ends at Girard College after seven months of protests.

Temple U archive Photo

September 2 1966:  U.S. District Court Judge Joseph S. Lord rules that, under Pennsylvania law, African-Americans cannot be excluded from Girard College on the basis of race.  In October, picketing resumes at Girard College after the trustees vote to appeal Judge Lord’s decision to the school.  The next day, picketing ends at Girard College after seven months of protests.




It wasn't until 1968 that the whole situation was resolved. I never knew that these things ever happened. I learned about these events while I was studying at Temple U. I asked my parents and they told me the reporters story.

File Copy MLK Speech in PR. Feb,1962

I remember reading about MLK's visit to Puerto Rico. and I am paraphrasing, but I remember him mentioning that Puerto Rico was better at race relations than the US.  He was referring to Puerto Ricans calling themselves Puerto Ricans first, not black Puerto Ricans, white Puerto Ricans or Indian Puerto Ricans, just Puerto Ricans . I think that if he had stood longer than four days, he would have seen some of the racial struggles on the island.
If you compared Puerto Rico with the US at the time, you would also say that they were ahead of the curve.

Martin's speech in Puerto Rico. Feb 1962

Growing up in a mixed neighborhood where my friends were from all backgrounds and colors I never had and other perspective than it was all beautiful.  I could eat Turkish, Irish-American, Soul food and my Puerto Rican food at home. I was more concerned with playing with my friends, not where they came from.

More than that was the fact that there are members of my own family are of different colors. Puerto Ricans have a shared history with African Americans, Europeans and Native Americans. 

My cousin Raymond, we called him "Chino" because he had more Native American or Asian features. He had high cheekbones, jet black hair and shinny olive skin.  He was also almost six feet tall and had a strong lean look. He was one of the first Puerto Rican men to go through the Philadelphia Police academy in the 60s. I remember him visiting my family in his tan academy uniform and tossing me up in the air as an older cousin would. He later became a detective in the 25th district at Front and Venango streets in the 70s and  80s. Very little is documented about my cousin. The memories of him along with my other cousin Alberto(the city's pioneering Puerto Rican DJ), have faded. I want to bring light into our family's pride in remembering them.

I am also grateful for having grown up with both parents. Now knowing first hand from both of my cousins too early deaths featured in the blog. Loosing them both too early has affected our family, especially their children.

I would honor them to make sure that their memories survive.