C.K. Steele honored at rally that relives
the past
By Daniela Velazquez
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
May 24, 2006
 City
and county officials speak at the C.K. Steele luncheon
The
Southern Christian Leadership conference recognizes guests of the
C.K. Steele luncheon
 "Come
on up to the front of the bus, and I'll be sitting there," Clifford
Steele sang with his brother, Darryl, as he played the piano at St.
Mary Primitive Baptist Church on Tuesday night.
The sons of the late Tallahassee bus boycott leader C.K. Steele
sang in memory of their father at a memorial rally of the boycott's
50th anniversary that featured Southern Christian Leadership
Conference President Charles Steele (no relation).
About 100 people had their hands clapping and toes tapping,
punctuating the air with shouts of "Amen" as several ministers,
including C.K. Steele's other son, Derek, prayed.
"You brought us from segregation to public transportation. Thank
you, Jesus," Derek Steele said.
Charles Steele speaks at St.
Mary's Primitive Baptist Church.
The rally marked the past in detail. Thirteen "foot soldiers,"
those who were involved in the boycott, were asked to stand.
Shaakira White, 12, narrated the history of the movement in
Tallahassee after she had summarized it herself.
"If it was still going on I'd probably do the same thing,"
Shaakira said. "I feel bad about the way they treated us because of
our skin color."
Charles Steele said the commitment to nonviolent resistance made
Tallahassee's boycott memorable.
"It's a shame people don't know your story," Steele said in a
fiery voice to the crowd. "That's what the world needs today, a
nonviolent movement."
Steele also said the SCLC is working on creating an undergraduate
degree in nonviolent education with Mississippi Valley State College
to create more civil-rights leaders.
But the civil-rights struggle isn't over, said Charles Evans,
Tallahassee NAACP president. Evans urged people to join a Bay County
branch NAACP rally in June as a protest about 14-year-old Martin Lee
Anderson, who died in January after being hit and restrained at a
boot camp run by the Bay County Sheriff's Office.
Contact reporter Daniela Velazquez
at (850) 599-2161 or
dvelazquez@tallahassee.com.
|
