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"Some people believe that one person cannot make a difference."
Submitted by: Gertie C., Los Angeles, CA
My mother grew up and lived in Brooklyn, NY before moving with my father to California. In the 1950s, Mama used to volunteer for the "Fresh Air" program, which took city kids (including my older siblings) out of the city for a few weeks every summer to stay in homes with families in the country. On one trip, the train conductor refused to allow her to have all the children in her care together with her, because some were black and some were white. She appealed to the conductor to allow her and the white children to sit in the rear (black) car so that everyone would be together because they were "just children" to no avail. When the train reached the Mason-Dixon line in Maryland, the conductor stopped the train and unhitched the last car, leaving her and all the kids at the station.
She went into the station and called Mr. Pullman (one of the major sponsors and the Fresh Air program and railroad magnate). Mr. Pullman called the railroad and they sent an engine to come pull the only integrated railroad car into the "old south." Some people believe that one person cannot make a difference. The love my Mother had for all children served as a shining example to me and many others that hate must be taught, and that we are to put the love of children first and foremost in our hearts, minds, and actions.
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