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African American history has many unsung heroes and heroines who
stood
up for their civil rights long before the official beginning of the
Civil
Rights Movement. One such person is Mrs. Bertha Holmes Dozier, who, by
choice, kept her story out of the public’s eyes for more than a half
century. Her reason for not speaking out years ago was simple; she
didn’t
want her mother to know how she was humiliated and traumatized for
standing
up for herself.
Bertha was born on August 5, 1918, in Callaghan, VA, to William
Holmes
and Bertie Martin Holmes. She grew up in White Sulphur Springs, WV, a
small
town west of Callaghan. Her fondest memories of her early years are
times
she and her family went back to Callaghan. She recalls how happy she
was
there and how much good food they always had over there. She goes on
and
on talking about the food her grandmother Susie and her aunts cooked
for
them. Food was always an important part of life and celebrations back
then.
Some of the things that stood out in her memory were the daily tea
parties she, her sisters and her mother had. She said that her
grandmother
Susie started that tradition with her children when they were young.
She
said that was another way for them to be together and talk. It also
helped
to develop a certain kind of closeness in them. They shared the
cares of
the day with each other. Family and the love of family were very
important
to Bertha.
Exposing her children to many aspects of society was very
important to
Bertha’s mother Mrs. Bertie Holmes also. She wanted her children to
experience different things in life. She helped them to save their
money in
tin cans, so they could go on the train to New York City to see plays.
Trips like this to New York aroused the thirst for adventure in Bertha
that
lasted her entire lifetime and took her all over America.
Bertha’s upbringing, her sense of pride and her strong moral
convictions contributed to her feeling of entitlement to “equal” rights
under the law in America. It was her belief that, if she did what she
was
supposed to do, she would be protected by the law. Little did she know
that
her faith in humanity and the law would be tested in Jacksonville, FL,
on
January 17, 1952. This was the day Bertha refused to give up her seat
in
the back of the bus to a white passenger.
The documentary film "Bertha’s Story: Painful Recollections" is
Bertha’s
account of what happened to her and how it forever changed her life.
Telling it is Bertha’s attempt to bring closure to what has been too
difficult for her to talk about for more than a half century. Telling
it is
about forgiveness and healing. When a door is left open in the past,
God
will show us how to close it, if we ask Him.
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