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Show Monday, April 24, 1989 Chronicle Page Four -- history from page one capital city Holbrook witnessed the massive March on Washington for civil organized civil rights activities on campus. In the summer of 1965, he returned to Mississippi. "I would say that the biggest thing that happened to me personally was that I -- rights. "For the first time, I realized that my point of view had developed far enough that I wanted to be in tne march, not watching it," he said. When Holbrook returned to Utah, he quit party politics and went to work for I'l'iPi P recognized there was a huge gap h between all the civics lessons I had read about how things were done in America and what I was actually experiencing in '4' i: 1 tit w Mississippi. That radicalized me and tne Utah chapter of the National prepared me to ask questions later on as Association for the Advancement of the Vietnam War loomed. I had suddenColored People. As a member of the ly realized that the emperor had no clothes," he said. At the same time Holbrook organized civil rights activities on campus, Ronald Coleman attended the U. and played on the championship football team. "I was from San Francisco. I remember local NAACP, Holbrook fought against racism and local discrimination. "Problems blacks had in Utah at that time were accessibility to housing, jobs and public accommodations, being able to go to any restaurant or motel or any place of recreation or leisure they wanted to. Some places they could go, some places they couldn't," Holbrook said. During the summer of 1964, Holbrook volunteered for the Mississippi Freedom Summer, which was sponsored by the I i ,i t 111 K boycotting and marching in sympathy and support of the boycott of Woolworth's. This was in front of the big Woolworth's on Market Street in downtown San Francisco. So when you came ! i . ! - f'U ( to Utah, you came with a certain sense of awareness," Coleman said. Congress of Racial Equality and the While in Utah, Coleman said he and Coordinating Committee. For several weeks, he his teammates experienced racism and Student Non-Viole- nt helped blacks register to vote. "I found myself very angry. bigotry. Coleman added that Dr. Charles I Nabors of the U. College of Medicine was a heroic figure who helped inspire people to rally around the cause of civil rights. Nabors was also active in the local NAACP. "Chuck (Nabors) helped to organize some of the local protests. I remember participating in a civil rights demonstration in 1964. It was, in part, a response suppose, in some ways, I should have been fearful. But I didn't feel fearful. I just felt angry," he said. Holbrook said that discriminatory "Jim Crow" laws and the fear of police brutality and local racists prevented thousands of blacks from voting. "The strategy of the Mississippi Freedom Summer, from the black civil rights workers' point of view, was that if kids from they could draw middle-clas- s the north and people who had connections, if something happened to them, someone would know about it, someone would do something about it. Whereas, footUniversity of Utah's ball player, Roy Jefferson. He had major problems finding adequate housing here. I think that called the attention on the part of a number of black athletes and other people in the community to the anti-pover- ty ; I sit-in- r anti-wa- off-camp- DENVER IZz-j- For more info contact z Bill 4 non-sto- p SLCDEN Thurs. 10:30 p.m. DENSLC Sun. 5:00 p.m. FROM can be picked up at the House end ASVV ciuces. All us MM demontrated scholaship and leadership and have given significant service to the University of Utah or the community. tj .. ; Beehive Honor Society is now accepting applications and nominations for membership from the class of 89. Applicants and nominees must be graduating seniors who have ss : d, ApplicationsNominations AT-tlc- Chronicle photo by Andrew Holloway radi-men- Accepting P I Ronald Coleman, director of Black Studies at the University of Utah, was a star athlete on the U.'s football team in 1964. Since that time, he has remained outspoken on a number of civil rights issues. "Civil rights created what were really tell you're not because of the way you the seeds for a lot of other movements. said. "of Coleman and discrimination racism extent speak,'" ' t. The environmental movement, the Coleman eventually found an aparthere. . But his teammates continually told calization of young white America. The "Athletes who were not married, and of confronting discrimination, him stories on of lived that was the majority movement, I think, to a us, "Obviously, it wasn't the same here as large extent, came out of the Civil Rights campus. So you didn't have any problem.; You just lived in the dorms. Roy, find in the South and demographics Movement. The women's movement, the ad off something to do with it. On the other gay liberation movement. I think virtual-hanbeing married, lived campus. That there were overt expressions of ly every major social desire for change was the first time we came to underdiscrimination. I know of one teammate and for people speaking up for their own stand the way the discriminatory practices, in terms of housing, worked here," who stopped by a restaurant and asked for ' rights,:came oiit of that," Holbrook said, Holbrook went on to join the leftist a piece of custard pie. He was with a he said. Coleman also pointed out that Nabors, white teammate, but he was refused ser- - Students for a Democratic Society. along with Holbrook, organized a picket vice. I remember him coming to the Today, he lives in Salt Lake City and is to protest racism within the LDS dorms that evening in disbelief over what actively involved in homeless issues. he had just experienced," he said. Church. ; "Looking back, it seems inconceivable As the 1960s progressed, the Civil that these conditions existed such a "Chuck helped to arouse a sense of concern and willingness on the part of Rights Movement was eventually short time ago," Holbrook said. some us to join in with members of the obscured by the anti-wa- r movement. Coleman left the state to pursue a black community and white supporters People became more militant. Local graduate degree. Currently, he is an to picket what was then the LDS church groups like the Brown Berets, a militant assistant professor of history and direcoffice building," he said. Chicano organization, and the U. Black tor of Black Studies at the U. r s Coleman said one of his earliest per- Student Union, supported boycotts, "The racism or indifference to racism r and rallies. In 1971, U. stusonal confrontations with racism was on the part of so many students nowadents elected a black student body presiwhen he tried to find an days is a result, I feel, of the lack of U. Grover the in near who ran 1965. a on dent, Thompson, apartment knowledge about this turbulent time," "After you've gone to a couple places write-i- n campaign, Thompson was Coleman said. and hear, 'The place is already rented,' actively involved in fair housing and "We're seeing a resurgence of racism call the I'll issues. U. The environmental on soon also 'Well, had you say, pretty again today. In struggling for civil rights telephone.' And the first thing you ask its first black homecoming queen that during that period of time, I think many is, 'Do you have any restrictions against year, Phillita Carney. people hoped their children would to whom you'll rent?' And you hear, 'No, Many of these social struggles and never be forced to face that kind of bigas long as you don't smoke, drink and protests were the result of the Civil otry and racism again. That just isn't the are Yiot minority, and in this case I can Rights Movement, Holbrook said. case," he said. Beehive Honor Society Is Now " 5.i.V'r'1 All-Americ- an -- woman. They took him in for interrogation and finally told him he was charged with "fondling a Negro woman's breasts." "Utah civil rights worker is jailed," cried a headline in the August 22, 1964 issue of the Deseret News. Holbrook returned to the U. in the fall of 1964, and '3' r to housing discrimination against the leaving it strictly to the local blacks, no one was going to do anything about, no one would ever hear about it. It would be hushed up," he added. Holbrook described Mississippi as a "police state." A number of .civil rights activists had been murdered by police and lynch mobs. While Holbrook was in Mississippi, two activists were discovered cut in half. The bodies. of others 5 were discovered in swamps. "Everywhere we went, there was police surveillance. That summer there were 50 black churches burned or bombed to the ground. Every night, there were incidents of shootings into people's windows. This was, of course, the summer after (civil rights activist) Medgar Evers had been assassinated," Holbrook said. While in Mississippi, Holbrook was, arrested twice. The first time, he was arrested for taking photographs of "whites only" signs on business establishments and public facilities. The second time, police saw him in a car with two white church workers and a black ' T' (SLC-DE- LOS ANGELES FROM KZJ 7:20 A.M. DEN-SL- 8:45 P.M.) (Add $10 for one way) . non-sto- p Plus an additional 22 southern California cities from $65 each way All fares based on round trip (Add $10 for one way) ' -- EACH WAY SAN FRANCISCO NON-STO- P FROM u prices based on round trip (Add $10.00 for one way) All EACH WAY . Som Rtotrictiono Sight via BrantH AlrtinM Ports of Caft Air Mid or uMocI to SM twin ol tw OptntorPorScipmt Contract AN or -- ASUU & THE SPEEDWAY PRESENT ANOTHER KJQ LISTENER APPRECIATION PARTY! 483-646- 4 by April 23. ICZO Coen at the Alumni House, 581 6995 MH vtV DAILY FLIGHTS BEGINNING MAY 1st! EACH WAY fares based on round trip. 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