The young African-Americans who in 1958 staged a sit-in at the Dockum Drugs lunch counter didn’t know it, but they were making history. It’s time for Wichita to honor that history.
As a recent reunion of participants revealed, the Dockum sit-in — perhaps the first protest of its kind in the nation — helped end segregation locally and establish a strategy of nonviolent resistance in the civil rights movement. Only in recent years have historians begun to recognize the importance of their achievement.
Now a group of Wichita youths is circulating a petition to honor the Dockum protests by renaming Reflection Square Park after Chester I. Lewis (in photo), local leader of the NAACP at the time.
How fitting — the “pocket park” on Douglas Avenue downtown, once the site of a Woolworth’s, already features a prominent lunch-counter sculpture in tribute to Wichita’s Dockum sit-in.
Posted by Randy Scholfield
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26 Comments
Not sure how I feel about this one.We had our studios next door at one time, and we always opened our local programming with, “From Reflection Square, in the heart of the Air Capital…”Chester Lewis was a living, breathing person who made a difference in our state’s history. Naming a concrete “park” filled with metal statues seems a little tinny to me.Surely, Wichita can come up with a better idea than this to honor the memory a man–and an event–that richly deserves to honored.
Isn’t this special; just another opprtunity for self-hating, guilt-ridden white fools to engage in yet more racial masochism!
V.L.R.B!!
Wichita EagleDidnt these people break the law?Weren’t they “Trespassing” just like Bryan Brown?I think Brown and the Dockum protesters are courageous heroes.By the way, what are the chances that the Dockum lunch sit-in was planned in a Church???LOL
Wichitans could put their money where their mouth is and name the new Arena after him.
The Chester I. Lewis Arena.
What ya think?
Here’s a visualization of the Arena with the Charles I. Lewis memorial wall on the front of the arena.
http://mccluer.name/lewisarena.jpg
JM,
Kudos. Quite fitting. And it will allow me to detest the new arena slightly less than I otherwise would have.
Concrete memorials have little to no impact on the issues / events they memorialize. Money for memorials could be better used for perpetual scholarship programs — (i.e the Piatt Park memorial) for the KC-135 crash victims, 75k in a scholarship endowment fund at WSU is a more fitting and lasting reminder of the event — the same would be true of naming a park after some one etc …. but that’s a gate that can’t be closed — – the memorial is there already … why not a plaque on the Dockum Drug Building?
Excuse me, Paul, but I was around at that time, and you conservative christians were beating your bibles to find justification for “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever!”The idea of you assholes attempting to take credit for civil rights advances is as disgusting as it is dishonest! Please proceed directly to hell!
Jed – and it was those “misguided Bishops” Paul complains about who helped work to end segregation.
While I have no objection to renaming the pocket park in honor of Chet Lewis, a much more fitting memorial would be too endow a scholarship for minority students at one of our law schools in his name!
Thank you Jed.Truth again eludes paulfrossel.
jeff beck, I wanna welcome you and say good luck on the Ian thing.
I was thinking of Ian earlier when I had a particularly odiferous poo-poo.I did in fact name one of the larger floaters after him.A nice memorial naming for a turd like him.Followed by completely flushing the memorial Ian turd out of existence.How fitting.And DAMNED AMERICAN.(humming the National Anthem with flushing noise in background)
Ben,Yes, you’re right, and I’ve felt that their involvement in the civil rights movement had at least some influence on the “liberation theology” that cropped up in Latin America about that same time.
JM,”The Chester I. Lewis Arena.
What ya think?”I think that the last thing Chet Lewis would have wanted named after him would be a White Elephant!
JedFormer Congressman Bob Dornan is, perhaps, one of the most religiously conservative Catholics to ever serve in Congress.”B1-Bob” actually marched with Martin Luther King!The Ku Klux Klan act was written, “To protect Catholics, Republicans and Negroes in the Reconstruction South.” This is the language in the preamble to the first Civil Rights Act!You are a self-righteous, pompous ass.The truth is, the Civil Rights Movement was a church-based movement.You liberals hate that, but how could a “Reverend” Martin Luther King be the leader of a political movement without involving churches?Since you must not have seen a previous post of mine, on this Blog.— I once had a cross burned in the lawn of my Fraternity and had the words “NIG EP” spraypainted on the side of the dorm, by racist rival frats. Proudly, I was in the first multiracial fraternity at WSU, back in the late 70’s.Don’t preach to me.
Jed
A better idea than mine — regardless we think alike ^5..
Garth Mc Ginn TV ads won’t be seen in Wichita – the tv ads on his web page are going to the surrounding counties — reminiscent of the Glickman ads of the 70’s / 80’s — no mud slinging — take a look and forward to your Wichita friends who will be voting.
http://www.daretwocare.us/press.html
GOP shill Paul – this “liberal” is proud of the impact that many churches had on Civil Rights. I met Dr. King years ago in my hometown of Atlanta. You are (as usual) full of it when you claim “You liberals hate that”.
I also do not hate it when catholic Bishops strive to get Social justice; something you claimed they are “misguided” about. Just like they were “misguided” about Civil rights and about the VietNam War. I marched arm-in-arm with Priests on those issues.
On a friendly note – Sig Ep at WSU? I think Massachusetts Delta (MIT) was the first SigEp house to integrate in the country. We also were the first, I think, to have Jewish brothers.
By the way, who was the most “successful” racist in modern times?By success, I mean, who was most able to institutionalize racism and do so with very little public knowledge of this intent?Answer? Margaret Sanger, the founder of Planned Parenthood.”Human Weeds” “More from the fit, less from the unfit.” “To create a race of thoroughbreds” These are all Sanger quotes.How about this one, “We can not let word go out among the Negroe population that we are out to exterminate the Negroe.” Sanger tried to enlist Black ministers in her cause in order to cover up her real objectives.http://www.citizenreviewonline.org/special_issues/population/the_negro_project.htm
Another example of what GMC referred to – Godwin’s Law.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Godwin’s_law
BenPerhaps I do paint with too broad a brush, but you, sir, are in a class by yourself.I disagree with you often, but I respect the fact that you do seem to allow religious views into the political mix, and even express them yourself sometimes.Ben, come on now, with very light research, within this Blog, you can find people who want to outlaw church involvement in ANY public policy debate of any kind. I would assume, by some of the posts, that a pastor who asks to have a pot hole filled in front of the church, or a school crossing light installed in front of a religous school, would be put in jail based on some of the radical atheist beliefs posted in this Blog.
You might assume that; I would not. I have not seen anyone claiming that religious views shuold never get into the mix. I haven’t seen anyone advocate jailing the students who participated in the flagpole thing. The issue arises when the line is crossed toward “establishment” of religion.
Of course churches should be proud of the impact they had in Civil Rights.
But can you not understand that many people deeply feel the same way about pro-life activities today? I absolutely DO NOT condone violence in the pursuit of that cause; but at least acknowledge that many pro-life activists deeply believe in that cause. And it’s legitimate to point out that using churches for political activism has a long history, especially in black churches for the democratic party.
Much of the criticism of politically active churches, aimed at conservative churches, strikes me as “free speech for me, but not for thee.”
And yes – a fitting memorial to the sit-in is entirely appropriate; it seems naming a park is the least we can do.
And CF – we agree on the arena, at least!!
“I usually try not to get involved with religious discussions.. But this one is eating my stomach.
I’ll keep this simple..
RELIGION HAS NO PLACE IN GOVERNMENT WHATSOEVER..
In fact it should be point blank illegal for religion to be discussed in government, to be used a basis for a campaign, and it should be illegal for anyone to question someone in government beacuse they are of a certain religion.
*awaits the flaming that will come*
Posted by: Erik | October 24, 2006 at 08:35 AM “—-Ben, There have been worse posts than this, but again, you didnt think anyone in these blogs had been hostile to religion.In fact, I remember Farm Girl blasting Black Ministers for the gay marriage issue, she was very very insulting.
Must be a family tradition to uphold Civil Rights. My ancestors and other relatives took part in the Underground Railroad in Ohio and later moved their operations to Illinois. My namesake was a very vocal abolitionist, not like John Brown, but vocal nonetheless.
It would seem that erik crossed the line the other way. I missed that – would have to see the rest of the context. He doesn’t seem to be a regular.
Paul Rosell
“I remember Farm Girl blasting Black Ministers for the gay marriage issue, she was very very insulting.”
Funny. Though my friend ksfarmgrrl has issues with SOME religious folk, I do NOT remember a post anything like what you refer to. Care to prove it or are you just sticking someone in the back?You seem capable of reposting others words. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with the post from Erik either.
Paul, Paul,A member in a multi-racial frat in the late ’70’s? Is that the best you can do? What commitment!