StoryCorps Griot: Mildred Bond Roxborough and Maxim Thorne

From: StoryCorps
Series: StoryCorps
Length: 01:49

Mildred Bond Roxborough (rocks-burro) , who has worked for the NAACP for more than 50 years, tells her colleague Maxim (MAX-um) Thorne (thorn) about an incident from her early days on the road. Read the full description.

Piece Audio

Playing: StoryCorps Griot: Mildred Bond Roxborough and ...
From: StoryCorps

Roxborough_240x240_prx_small In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, StoryCorps recorded interviews with NAACP members in New York City, where the NAACP held its centennial conference.

In this piece, we'll hear a story from Mildred Roxborough.

In 1953, Mildred Roxborough, whose name was then Mildred Bond, accepted what was supposed to be a temporary assignment for the NAACP. Over half a century later, Roxborough had worked in virtually every department in the organization.

Here, Roxborough remembers an incident from her early days on the road…

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Piece Description

In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the NAACP, StoryCorps recorded interviews with NAACP members in New York City, where the NAACP held its centennial conference.

In this piece, we'll hear a story from Mildred Roxborough.

In 1953, Mildred Roxborough, whose name was then Mildred Bond, accepted what was supposed to be a temporary assignment for the NAACP. Over half a century later, Roxborough had worked in virtually every department in the organization.

Here, Roxborough remembers an incident from her early days on the road…

Broadcast History

NPR's Morning Edition 8.21.09

Transcript

MR: I was making my way across the state of Arkansas in July and August, the hottest months, getting parents to sign petitions to get their local school integrated. I was supposed to speak to the branch, you always had to speak to the units, so I wanted to take a bath and there was a tin tub, it was about two feet deep and large enough to wash clothing in, that's what the tub was intended. Anyway, I decided that I wanted to sit down and get the water over me because I was hot and dusty but then I couldn't push myself off from the tub. I was just stuck. So I called my host and she could not get me from the tub so she went out and conferred and they decided that they would take me into the backyard so they could pour the water from the tub. The backyard had a wire fence and people were walking along the sidewalk and they stopped to watch this, this spectacle. Eventually they were able to...
Read the full transcript