I was rifling through family photos and old newspaper articles with Ms. Annie Cooper when breaking news came on in the background: Cornelia Wallace died today. Cornelia was the second wife of former Alabama governor, George Wallace. Wallace delivered his most famous line at his inauguration in 1963: "In the name of the greatest people that have ever trod this earth, I draw the line in the dust and toss the gauntlet before the feet of tyranny, and I say segregation now, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever."
To whom he was referring as "the greatest people" is left up for interpretation, but I don't believe he was referring to Ms. Annie Cooper and the other African Americans who stood in voter registration lines in 1965.
A large mounted copy of the Selma Times Journal article that describes the confrontation between Ms. Cooper and another staunch segregationist, Jim Clark, sat on the table in front of us as we visited.
Ms. Cooper paid the newscast little mind and went on pointing out her children, nieces and nephews.
Thursday, January 8, 2009
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