Yes. So I said, "I didn't know you was back there. You could have been
helping us a long time ago and saved us a little money to put in our
pockets." Julius said, "Angus, it's whatever you all want to do." I
said, "We're ready to go and show you where you're wrong." I said, "This
councilman didn't ask for to go along with us." And Julius asked me, and
I said, "Sure it's all right. All we want is him to go along." So he
did, he came right along with us and joked the whole while we was out
there.
So after we began to show him what we was going to do, I never will
forget, we got down to McCollum Street, and when we got to McCollum
Street the next street over was Starlite Drive. That's where the Indians
lived on Starlite Drive. Nothing but blacks living on McCollum Street.
So I suggested, I said, "Let's go down half way between Starlite Drive
and McCollum Street out to Fairmont Road." That's what it was at that
time. It's Martin Luther King now. This councilman says, "No, lets go to
Starlite Drive." At that time I said, "Look, I have not talked to those
people on Starlite Drive," which I hadn't. I said, "I don't even know
what they want." I said, "They're Indians." I said, "I haven't talked
with them. They might throw a monkey wrench in it." Julius said, "That's
all right. Whatever you want." So we came on with the line coming half
way between the two streets and got to Fairmont road, and then we had
make a decision, "Where are we going now?" This
Page 17councilman said, "Well now, we'll just go straight on across here to
Allen Street." That's kind of a left horizontal.
Well, now I'm living, my residence is sitting now on the other side of
Starlite Drive right here where it is now. My son, he's in school, and I
want him in school. This councilman said, "Why don't you pay the
thirty-five dollars?" I said, "Yes, sir. I could pay you thirty-five
dollars to get my son in school, but when we get through drawing this
line I can just see the city council and the school board ain't going to
let nobody just beyond this school district line come in there."
Chambers said, "You're right." He said, "What do you want me to do?" So
I just suggested, I said, "In order that my son may continue go right
down the highway south, down to the south line, include my residence and
then come back up, then we'll go across the other streets." He drew it
on a piece of paper and wrote in there to include Angus Thompson's
residence. It's in there that way by name now if they didn't throw it
away.
Then we came on back to the funeral home. This councilman said, "Now, I
could take this and get it through for you all." And Chambers said,
"What do you want to about it, Angus." I said, "He can do anything. It
don't make no difference as long as it's done." We just handed it over
to him. He took it and went to the school board, and it was okayed. It
was okayed just as beautiful as ever. [Laughter.]