Puppet Posted December 10, 2011 Share Posted December 10, 2011 [*]Waitresses in southern diners who refused to take our orders because we were racially-integrated. Yeah - I feel you on that one. 1970 Jacksonville, FL. Similar scenario. Ugly for a bunch of 12 to 17 year olds from the most diverse city (NYC) in America. We never knew what hit us most of the bus ride down was like that ... until we got to New York's 6th borough - Miami! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DPEmerald Posted December 12, 2011 Author Share Posted December 12, 2011 Yeah - I feel you on that one. 1970 Jacksonville, FL. Similar scenario. Ugly for a bunch of 12 to 17 year olds from the most diverse city (NYC) in America. We never knew what hit us most of the bus ride down was like that ... until we got to New York's 6th borough - Miami! Well Puppet we lived through it in some ways with corps who didn't take members of one race or another. The neighborhoods we lived in were segregated for the most part which did create some of that separation yet most drum corps "seemed" inclusive. I would sit on the bus and think about odd things (there weren’t cassette players even back). What would it be like if someone who wasn't Asian wanted to join the LA Chinese? Did CMCC have Caucasian members? Were the Royalaires predominantly Jewish because of where they came from? Oh to be young again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navillus WP Posted December 12, 2011 Share Posted December 12, 2011 Well Puppet we lived through it in some ways with corps who didn't take members of one race or another. The neighborhoods we lived in were segregated for the most part which did create some of that separation yet most drum corps "seemed" inclusive. in the laste 60's and mid-seventies, I used to spend time wondering why all the talented black kids from Metro Boston had to leave the Boston City Limits to find a corps that "had spots open" for them .... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 The local-circuit junior corps where I marched did a few "short tours" to the World Open, U.S. Open, Key to the Sea shows, depending on the year.... and the usual stuff (bus problems, bad rehearsal fields, etc.) happened to us. I do remember that, for whatever reason, we usually had pretty good sleeping accommodations... college dorms and so forth. Then it was on to all-age corps for me (still called senior corps back then). One of the toughest things we had to deal with was going back to work or school on a summer Monday after a long, hard weekend of rehearsals, travel and shows. My last season with Sunrisers... 1982... we had a Friday night rehearsal on Long Island... then a Saturday night show in Carlisle, PA (with a long bus ride and a day of rehearsal before the show)... followed by a Sunday afternoon show in Connecticut. And it was hotter than hell that weekend. Then a long drive home through insane NYC-area traffic, and up Monday morning to face the "real world." Absolutely nuts. Honest to God... as much fun as I had with the Sunrisers my six years there... that weekend was the weekend I decided that 1982 would be my last season marching. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fran Haring Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 in the laste 60's and mid-seventies, I used to spend time wondering why all the talented black kids from Metro Boston had to leave the Boston City Limits to find a corps that "had spots open" for them .... True story: My first year with DCA's Sunrisers... 1977... we were in Boston for the Boston Cup competition, and had to stay on our buses for a while at our rehearsal field as some locals threw rocks and assorted other stuff at the buses. To make a long story short... those locals had taken exception to the fact that we had black people in our corps. Anyhow... the police were called in, and we spent the day rehearsing under police guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindap Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 My first year as DM in 72 was awkward. I couldn't get through the gate at some contests 'cause they thought I was a guard captain! My contras were my body guards. They'd say 'Is she your DM?'. My guys said 'Yes she is.' and in the gate I went :D Thanks Tom and Lambert! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KeithHall Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 NT Open (either 74 or 75). The Mighty Lberators (African-American corps from Rochester, NY)were competing. The kids were free one night and walking around the city to get food and just relax. Some idiotic resident calls the police to say that there was a street gang invading North Tonawanda! They had their corps jackets on. I wonder how much they (the corps) had to put up with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim K Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 That could have happened in a number of the Boston neighborhoods in 1977. I’d be willing to bet that today, that same neighborhood is integrated, and the residents speak against intolerance and praise diversity. Fortunately times do change! True story: My first year with DCA's Sunrisers... 1977... we were in Boston for the Boston Cup competition, and had to stay on our buses for a while at our rehearsal field as some locals threw rocks and assorted other stuff at the buses. To make a long story short... those locals had taken exception to the fact that we had black people in our corps. Anyhow... the police were called in, and we spent the day rehearsing under police guard. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Navillus WP Posted December 13, 2011 Share Posted December 13, 2011 (edited) That could have happened in a number of the Boston neighborhoods in 1977. I'd be willing to bet that today, that same neighborhood is integrated, and the residents speak against intolerance and praise diversity. Fortunately times do change! I'm not surprised. I attended Boston State College (on Huntington Ave near Mission Hill) during the period SEP 1970-JUN 1974. I did my early internship and student teaching during the infamous Boston anti-busing "strikes." The city was racially divided. US District Judge Garrity had ordered the city to desegregate its schools through busing,black kids from mostly black Roxbury were being forced to share classrooms with kids from mostly white high school, and the white residents didn't like it one bit. Boycotts and protests followed in short order. This photo was taken during an April 1976 rally on City Hall Plaza protesting the racial desegregation of Boston Public Schools . From the book: "It was nothing more than a minor skirmish, to hear many of the parties tellit. Beautiful spring day ... couple hundred high-school kids massing outsideCity Hall ... a few tempers flare ... what's the big deal? After all, in that spring of '76,tempers were flaring all across Boston.When a crowd of white students from the previously mostly-white public highschools in South Boston, Dorchester, and Charlestown descended on City HallPlaza on April 5, it was pretty much business as usual. Until a black lawyer named Ted Landsmark, on his way to a meeting, chosethat particular moment to pass by. At once, a knot of protesters set upon him,knocked him down, kicked and punched him, shattered his glasses, broke his nose. Landsmark stumbled to his feet and walked away. On the right: Landsmark, writhing in another man's grip. On the left: a high-school student named Joseph Rakes, caught in the act of driving an American flag into Landsmark's pinioned body." Edited January 26, 2012 by Navillus WP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pearlsnaredrummer77 Posted December 14, 2011 Share Posted December 14, 2011 That could have happened in a number of the Boston neighborhoods in 1977. I’d be willing to bet that today, that same neighborhood is integrated, and the residents speak against intolerance and praise diversity. Fortunately times do change! Racism was sometimes blunt, and sometimes subtle. When I was marching my girlfriend's parents forbid us dating, so we spent most of our time together at corps other than when she could sneak out. I wonder if they (the parents) look back and are ashamed of their conduct. The funny thing is that amongst corps members race just wasn't an issue. I think drum corps was one of the best multi-cultural social experiences of its day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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