Tiehles: A Century of Black Life, History, and Culture

Martin Luther King Jr. was and still is known as one of the biggest heroes against segregation and racism against African-Americans. As you know he recited many speeches against segregation. In those speeches he often mentioned the “beloved community” phrase many times. Other people in this era of Martin Luther King Jr. are well known too. People like Myrl Billings who was part of the Harlem Hell Fighters. Also, people like the Little Rock Nine who tried to integrate Central High School in Little Rock Arkansas. These are many people and phrases that were well known and stuck in every ones head.

“Our goal is to create a beloved community and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said this. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. often said the phrase “beloved community” in many of his speeches. He envisioned the beloved community as a society based on justice, equal opportunity and love of ones fellow human beings. The “beloved community” is a term that was first devised as a new phrase in the early days of the 20th century by the philosopher-theologian Josiah Royce. Josiah Royce founded the Fellowship of Reconciliation. Even though Josiah Royce invented the phrase Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was also a member of the Fellowship of Reconciliation popularized the phrase “beloved community” with some of his speeches.

A lot of black veterans and soldiers were buried in Lincoln Cemetery but one man who really stuck in every one’s heads back then was Myrl Billings. Myrl Billings was part of the Harlem Hell Fighters who fought all through France. He was also the only African-American soldier from Springfield to receive the Croix de Guerre for gallantry in action during World War 1. Myrl Billings was born January 1st, 1897. During his life he did lots of great things including founding the first boys club in Springfield, of course the World War 1, Harlem Hell Fighters and the Croix de Guerre. Myrl Billings came back to Springfield in 1919 and died November 7th, 1920 because of poisonous gas injuries he attained sometime during war.

A lot of people have heard and researched the Little Rock Nine. Little Rock Nine were nine students who tried to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, three years after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously in “Brown vs Board of Education.” The nine students known as Little Rock Nine were recruited by Daisy Bates who was president of the Arkansas branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). As president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, Martin Luther King Jr. wrote president Dwight D. Eisenhower requesting a swift resolution to allow the students to attend that school. The nine students tried many times to get in but had failed. September 4th, 1957, the first day of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas, a mob of white students gathered outside the school. Governor Orval Faubus deployed the Arkansas National Guard to prevent the black students from entering. In response to Faubus’ action a team of NAACP lawyers won a federal district court to prevent the governor from blocking the students entry. The day all the black students finally made it in the school was September 23, 1957, but they immediately rushed home. This is a historic day in history as it’s one of the first cases where even just a small group of African-Americans went to school with white kids.

As said before Martin Luther King Jr. was and still is a well known man and had the “beloved community” phrase that was also well known. Myrl Billings and the Little Rock Nine were also known. They maybe weren’t known as well but they were still known. To recap, the phrase “beloved community” was envisioned by Martin Luther King Jr. as a society based on justice, equal opportunity and love of ones fellow human beings. Myrl Billings is buried in Lincoln Cemetery. He was part of the Harlem Hell Fighters and they fought all through France. The Little Rock Nine were nine African-American students who tried to integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. They succeeded on September 23, 1957, but sadly were rushed home immediately. That time era was an interesting time period and I would love to learn more about that time.

Wyatt Helm is one of three SPS students who won an annual essay contest in partnership with NAACP Springfield to honor Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

About the MLK essay contest

The annual essay contest to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is sponsored by the NAACP Springfield for all middle school students in Springfield Public Schools. A committee of university students and faculty judged more than 100 essays to select the three top submissions. Winners were each awarded $50. This year’s focus: “2015: A Century of Black Life, History and Culture.”