This year has marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Royal Ice Cream sit-in -- one of the first such events in the South, part of the struggle against legalized segregation that dominated this region for decades. (See previous BCR coverage of the anniversary here, and here.)
R. Kelly Bryant, a fixture in Durham's black community and a historian of Durham's civil rights movement (among many other topics), first tried to get the state to erect a roadside historic marker to the event back in 1999, but the application was rejected by the state commission that decides on whether such markers are worthy or not.
Bob Ashley nailed this issue head-on in his October 19 column in the Herald-Sun:
I don't envy the committee's task. Over the years, 1,513 markers have been erected, with 10 or 12 a year added recently. I'm sure an equal number of possibilities are out there.
But it would be reasonable to correct an apparent imbalance.
If you search the database for the marker program, you'll find 238 markers refer to Civil War events, some arguably marginal, such as this one in Manteo:
"Confederate channel obstructions: Wood pilings placed to stop Federal fleet in Croatan Sound, still visible at low tide."
Search for Civil Rights, and you'll find exactly two markers ([NC Office of Archives and History research supervisor Michael] Hill says a relatively new one commemorating a Martin Luther King appearance hasn't been coded with the "civil rights" keyword yet).
The good news -- as forwarded on by Eddie Davis, and as Ashley notes in his column -- is that the state committee will hear an appeal in December from Davis, Bryant and others in the Durham community over the rejection of an historic marker for the Royal Ice Cream sit-in.
Hill notes in Ashley's column that the recent attention paid to the event (by the N&O and Herald-Sun, WUNC, and other sources) serves as a "broader recommendation" to the historic relevance of the event.
Here's wishing Davis and Bryant all the best luck on the appeal. At this point in North Carolina history, it should well be the case that luck is no longer needed to begin commemorating a critical moment in our state and national history.
Thanks for today's entry, Kevin. The request below went to Council this morning. Note mention of BCR and other blogs. :)
I followed with a note to Council and have already heard back. I can report that the process has been started...
~John
Request to Address the City Council Work Session
On November 20 with an Issue for
The December 3 Council Meeting
To: Agenda Coordinator for the Durham City Council
From: Eddie Davis, John Schelp, Virginia Williams, R.
Kelly Bryant
Date: Monday, November 5, 2007
Fifty years ago, seven Durham citizens participated in
a very famous sit-in an eatery called the Royal Ice
Cream Parlor. This incident is considered by many
historians as one of the pivotal precursors of the
civil rights movement in North Carolina .
A commemoration program was held recently in honor of
the living members of the “Royal Seven.” We are
pleased that City Council members Howard Clement,
Thomas Stith, and Mayor Bill Bell attended and
presented a proclamation at that event.
At that commemoration program, R. Kelly Bryant
mentioned that, in 2003, he made a formal request for
a state historic marker for the June 23, 1957 Royal
Ice Cream Parlor Sit-in. His request was subsequently
denied by the Highway Historic Marker Advisory
Committee in Raleigh . At that time, the committee
indicated that the Royal Sit-in “did not rise to the
requisite level of statewide historical significance.”
In the intervening years, several books by renowned
historians highlight the Royal Sit-in and assign very
prominent statewide significance to the incident.
Also, a renewed local interest has been taken in the
possibility of securing a marker for this incident.
Thus, an appeal request has been arranged for the
December 17, 2007 meeting of the Historic Marker
Committee in Raleigh .
We believe that the chances of a successful appeal for
a historic marker on December 17 would be greatly
enhanced if the Durham City Council, the Durham County
Commissioners, and the Durham Board of Education were
to submit a resolution in support of the appeal.
Enclosed please find a copy of the proposed
resolution. Also, please find a Herald-Sun column by
Bob Ashley from Sunday, October 21, 2007.
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/columnists/ashley/90-891136.cfm
In order to follow the timeline required for your
meeting schedule and to be able to receive such a
resolution of support in advance of the December 17
appeal, we are requesting permission to appear at the
“Citizen Matters” segment of the November 20 work
session. Hopefully this November 20 appearance would
lead to official passage of the resolution at the
December 3 City Council meeting.
Tentatively, John Schelp and R. Kelly Bryant will
serve as the spokespersons for our requested November
20 presentation. Thank you very much for your
consideration.
Posted by: John Schelp | November 05, 2007 at 04:40 PM
Thanks for today's entry, Kevin. The request below went to Council this morning. Note mention of BCR and other blogs. :)
I followed with a note to Council and have already heard back. I can report that the process has been started...
~John
Request to Address the City Council Work Session
On November 20 with an Issue for
The December 3 Council Meeting
To: Agenda Coordinator for the Durham City Council
From: Eddie Davis, John Schelp, Virginia Williams, R.
Kelly Bryant
Date: Monday, November 5, 2007
Fifty years ago, seven Durham citizens participated in
a very famous sit-in an eatery called the Royal Ice
Cream Parlor. This incident is considered by many
historians as one of the pivotal precursors of the
civil rights movement in North Carolina .
A commemoration program was held recently in honor of
the living members of the “Royal Seven.” We are
pleased that City Council members Howard Clement,
Thomas Stith, and Mayor Bill Bell attended and
presented a proclamation at that event.
At that commemoration program, R. Kelly Bryant
mentioned that, in 2003, he made a formal request for
a state historic marker for the June 23, 1957 Royal
Ice Cream Parlor Sit-in. His request was subsequently
denied by the Highway Historic Marker Advisory
Committee in Raleigh . At that time, the committee
indicated that the Royal Sit-in “did not rise to the
requisite level of statewide historical significance.”
In the intervening years, several books by renowned
historians highlight the Royal Sit-in and assign very
prominent statewide significance to the incident.
Also, a renewed local interest has been taken in the
possibility of securing a marker for this incident.
Thus, an appeal request has been arranged for the
December 17, 2007 meeting of the Historic Marker
Committee in Raleigh .
We believe that the chances of a successful appeal for
a historic marker on December 17 would be greatly
enhanced if the Durham City Council, the Durham County
Commissioners, and the Durham Board of Education were
to submit a resolution in support of the appeal.
Enclosed please find a copy of the proposed
resolution. Also, please find a Herald-Sun column by
Bob Ashley from Sunday, October 21, 2007.
http://www.heraldsun.com/opinion/columnists/ashley/90-891136.cfm
In order to follow the timeline required for your
meeting schedule and to be able to receive such a
resolution of support in advance of the December 17
appeal, we are requesting permission to appear at the
“Citizen Matters” segment of the November 20 work
session. Hopefully this November 20 appearance would
lead to official passage of the resolution at the
December 3 City Council meeting.
Tentatively, John Schelp and R. Kelly Bryant will
serve as the spokespersons for our requested November
20 presentation. Thank you very much for your
consideration.
Posted by: John Schelp | November 05, 2007 at 04:40 PM