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From Where I Sit
Graciousness is a rare, refreshing trait
By: Cara Anthony
Editor in Chief
Posted: 9/22/08
Last week, we witnessed history as the Freedom Riders 14 finally gained their honorary degrees after 47 long years.
Back during the segregation era, the cost of protesting for what they thought to be right could have cost them their lives.
As a result for their selfless efforts, the 14 TSU Freedom Riders did not receive degrees and haven't been able to recover them for almost five decades.
Now, 10 of the 14 Freedom Riders finally earned their degrees last week on Sept. 18. The other four Freedom Riders earned their degrees posthumously.
It is not everyday that you bump into a living legend in the campus student center. During this memorable week, Dora Frasier and I had a casual conversation while she was on the way to the bookstore.
Although I had the opportunity to formally interview Frasier, and nearly 10 Freedom Riders, chatting with her one-on-one was of the most valuable experiences of my life.
Frasier is the sister of Freedom Rider Charles Butler.
Butler died Dec. 20, 2000 and was honored posthumously for his efforts, along with Frances Wilson, William B. Mitchell Jr. and Clarence Melvin Wright.
During our short walk, we did not talk about how her brother was arrested with Martin Luther King Jr., and we did not discuss how she felt when her brother decided to go on a historic Freedom Ride.
Instead, she approached me as a down to earth woman and we laughed like we were long time friends.
Before we walked into the bookstore to buy her a folder, Frasier stopped pushing her walker and pulled a sheet a paper out of her purse.
With a smile, she showed me a copy of the Tennessean's front page. Her picture was on the front page.
The photograph showed her proudly gripping her brother's honorary doctorate degree.
I wonder if she would frame and carry that picture for the remainder of her days.
Frasier also felt elated on the outpouring of friendliness toward the Freedom Riders during this momentous occasion.
At that moment, I wanted every student to personally meet a Freedom Rider, as if they were members of their own immediate family.
Although Frasier was not a Freedom Rider herself, any time I basked in her presence, it was a humbling experience.
I was distraught when I learned that some students didn't attempt to make the Convocation where the Freedom Riders received the honorary degrees or their greet-and-meet session.
Many students even walked by Frasier and other Freedom Riders, unaware of who they were and what they accomplished.
However, as soon as I met all of them, their faces burned into my mind. Having the Freedom Riders on campus was a priceless opportunity, and I am glad that they were honored for their sacrifices.
Having that conversation with Frasier made me wonder if Civil Rights activists like Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King Jr. would have been just as warm and friendly in person.
Were they still alive, I believe that they would have been just as gracious.
© Copyright 2010 Meter