James R. Mapp had a favorite phrase, "We don't concern ourselves with what others think when we know the thing that we must do is right." It may come as no surprise that Mapp was a walking history book and life resource. He identified with the poor and jobless because his family was forced to move from a Georgia sharecropping community due to of the greed of a local land baron on the eve of the Second World War. He knew the significance of education, and whether it was pushing for more African-American and minority educators or feeder schools, he felt education was the greatest equalizer in America. He was familiar with the inequalities and inequities in criminal justice having himself waged a 26 year struggle to gain equal access for all schools.
What most don't know is that in the late 1950's, Civil Rights groups like the NAACP were beginning to host workshops on school desegregation, and when he heard that the Rev. Kelly Miller Smith and others were hosting such an event he hurried to Nashville to learn how to file a school desegregation suit. Ironically, the late Rev. John L. Edwards was one who participated in this effort while serving in Nashville.
The preservation of Chattanooga and Hamilton County black history was equally important to him and should be to us all. In the last few years alone, we have lost the Reverends John L. Edwards, Melvin Jordan, Virgil Caldwell, H.H Wright, Mr. Charles Key and Mrs. Mabel Scruggs amongst other trailblazers and pioneers. We are also at a grand junction of history as we have commemorated many notable anniversaries; (60th) Brown v. Board; (50th) Civil Rights Act of 1964; ( 50th) Voting Rights Act of 1965. We also have wept and celebrated the (50th) anniversary of Bloody Sunday at Selma and listened to, "What Sayeth the Stone." We reflected upon 50 years since the 1963 March on Washington and affirmed that the unfinished work of the dream goes on. Whether on the streets of Ferguson and Baltimore, or in the sanctuary in Charleston, we've had to say Black Lives Matters/All Lives Matter, and Human Rights is 365. Mapp often thought of these events and losses and felt we must do all we can to preserve our history and bridge the divides amongst us.
Thankfully, Rita Lorraine Hubbard and other historians have aided the community in this mission. Without them we would not know that several units of U.S. Colored Troops organized here during the Civil War; that Randolph Miller would begin the Chattanooga Blade (circa. 1898), and go on to lead a successful protest against street car segregation by forming the "hack line" in response to new policies brought on in the aftermath of Plessy v. Ferguson (1896); that in the late 1800s, Lionel Ritchie's great-grandfather J.L. Brown would go on to lead the Knights of the Wise Men; that W.C. Hodge would be one the ablest state legislators; and that even though he had four highly productive businesses, G.W. Franklin settled on an undertaker business that was the envy of all Chattanooga because of it's splendor and professionalism.
By 1906, the eyes of the nation turned to Chattanooga, when despite the Supreme Court issuing a stay in order to review the case, an angry mob would unceremoniously lynch Ed Johnson from the Walnut Street Bridge. Johnson's response to the mob was, "God bless you all. I am innocent." It's unfortunate Ed Johnson doesn't have a state or national historical marker. Also of note, black Chattanooga lawyers Noah Parden and Styler Hutchins served as co-legal counsels for Johnson.
A second local travesty is the lack of recognition for the Scottsboro Boys. Four of the nine were native Chattanoogans, and all nine would board the train here in 1931 before being tried for crimes they didn't commit. Twice the United States Supreme Court would overturn their convictions, but it wouldn't be until 2013 that the state of Alabama would officially pardon them for the injustices they had endured.
This eludes to another area of historical neglect our city experiences, the lack of adequate upkeep and cultivation of the historic Pleasant Garden Cemetery. Two of the Scottsboro boys, J.L. Brown, Ed Johnson, and countless others are buried there, but the land is privately owned and isn't eligible for public works upkeep. Nevertheless, this has not deterred LaFrederick Thirkill and a few citizens from caring for this debilitated but scared place.
Also, if not for UTC, the THRC and Nicole Brown, many would not have seen, "9 United for Equality: Reflections on the Struggle for Civil Rights in Chattanooga," or any of the important contributions that the courageous Howard High students and later the entire community played in desgregating Chattanooga downtown lunch counters. We should do all in our power help them leave their reflections for future generations to study. To Mapp, who would file his desegregation suit just as the students began their protest, the dual marriage constituted, "a divine providence interacting."
Another important documentary spearheaded by UTC was the desegregation of the college when it merged with Chattanooga City/ Zion College and admitted its first black student, Horace Traylor. Mapp, once again, was one of the voices helping to give the historical record.
Other aspects of Chattanooga African-American history is relevant in today's time. One is the Tennessee State University connection. When the state of Tennessee announced the opening of four state normal schools in 1909, Nashville and Chattanooga became the two locations selected for a possible Negro school. A compromise was struck, Nashville got the school (TSU), while St. Elmo teacher William Jasper Hale would go on to become the first TSU president; numerous Negro League players like Willie Mays, Satchel Paige and Jackie Robinson would play here and stay at the Martin Hotel; and Lincoln Park would be one of America's most note-worthy African American recreational facilities.
In short, we have lost many of our best citizens, and because of this must ask, "What will become of our history and heritage?" We must push to preserve what history and heritage we have left by supporting those individuals and entities already committed to this effort; provide resources that assist with research and in the recording of historical narratives; seek out grants and all available areas of financial aide; establish working relationships with professional organizations like the State Library and Archives and the Library of Congress; and push for national and state listings on the Registers of Historic Places. Mapp would say this is standing on what's right.
Eric A. Atkins, (B.A.,History: TSU '02; M.Ed.,Secondary Education: UTC '2014;) and 2014 Recipient James R. Mapp Citizen of the Year.