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S W A R T H M O R E C O L L E G E B U L L E T I NWell, I was so scared that he’d putme out, but I couldn’t go upstairs [tothe nigger gallery] because my mamatold me not to go upstairs. So hepushed me out the front door, and Iran home. And she was standing in thekitchen cooking. I never will forget this.She said, “What are you doing home?You wanted to go to the movies!” I toldher what happened. She said, “Allright. Where’s your money? Did youget your money back?” I didn’t get mymoney back. They just put me out ofthe movies, right? She said, “All right.We’re going back, and we’re going toget your money. We’re going back tothat movie. Now I’m going to sit downstairswith you,” she said. Well, wewent back to the movies, and she wentin front of me instead of next to me.The little man didn’t know that shewas my mother. He thought I was tryingto get back into the white sectionagain by myself. So he grabbed me. Hesaid, “Sister,” and he pulled me back,and she turned on him. She said, “Doesshe look like your sister to you?” Theboy was so shocked. What’s this whitewoman doing here? He was so upsetthat we went right on down in thewhite section and sat again, my motherand I, both of us. We didn’t know thathe had gone to call the police. Shesaid, “I’m leaving, and you are sitting.”She left me there. So when thepolice came, I was crying. I can stillremember the little tears. I wasn’t evenlooking at the movie. I was looking atmy feet and praying that I would livelong enough so that my feet one daywould hit the ground [laughing]! Thepoliceman came down. I rememberthis as clear as if it was yesterday. Hehad really red hair, brilliant red hair,because that’s all I remember. He saidto me, “Little girl, we have a report thatyou’re disturbing the peace. Are youdisturbing the peace?”I said, “I don’t know. My mama toldme to do this. I don’t know.”He said, “Well, look. This little girl isdisturbing the peace. I’m going to haveto sit down here with her to see thatshe doesn’t disturb the peace.” Peoplejust left empty seats all around. So hetook off his cap, and he sat right nextto me. He was sitting there, and hesaid, “Little girl, are you all right? Areyou disturbing the peace?” I wasn’tlooking at the movies. I was praying. Iwanted that movie to end so badly. I“I THOUGHT, ‘OHGOD. A POLICEMANWALKING ME HOME!WHAT’S MAMA GOINGTO SAY?’ I WASN’TSCARED OF THEPOLICE, BUT I WASSCARED TO DEATH OFMAMA.”KATHRYN MORGAN FIRST TAUGHT AT <strong>SWARTHMORE</strong>IN 1970—THE FIRST AFRICAN AMERICAN ON THEFACULTY. DESPITE HER DEGREES FROM HOWARDUNIVERSITY AND THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVA-NIA, SHE SAYS SHE FELT “MORE IN COMMON WITHTHE BLACK PEOPLE WHO CAME TO CLEAN, COOK,AND SERVE” AT THE COLLEGE.JIM GRAHAMtell you, I wanted that movie to end.When it finally ended, he said, “Littlegirl, I’m going to walk you home.”I thought, “Oh, God. A policemanwalking me home! What’s Mama goingto say? I’ll be in all kinds of trouble.” Iwasn’t scared of the police, but I wasscared to death of Mama.He said, “Do you want an ice creamcone?”I said, “Yes.” So he bought me an icecream cone. I was too scared to eat it.So it was dripping all down. I said,“Would you do me a favor?”He said, “What?”I said, “Don’t walk me home!”I ran home with this melting icecream cone, and my mother was still inthe kitchen. She turned around, andshe said, “How are you?” or somethinglike that. I don’t remember exactly, butI know she said, “Where did you getthat ice cream cone?”I said, “The cop bought it for me,”or something like that.She took the ice cream cone andthrew it away. She said, “There are certaintimes in life when you must disturbthe peace. You must disturb thepeace of racism. You must disturb thepeace. You must never, ever be peacefulin the fight.” You couldn’t be a cowardwith children in those daysbecause if you were, you would bringup cowardly children, and you had toremember that there were certainthings worth dying for. So I learned at10 years old to disturb the peace ofracism, and I will continue doing so foras long as I live.Years later, I wrote my book [an oralhistory] about my mother’s family, theGordon family. My mother was a Southernmigrant in Philadelphia. My mothernurtured me on stories of my grandmotherand especially my great-grandmother,Caddy. I loved them, and theywere my inspiration. I would alwayssay, “What would Caddy do in a situationlike this?” I would tell myself,“This situation, no matter how bad itis, could not possibly be as bad asbeing kidnapped when you were 8years old and sold into slavery.”When I came to Swarthmore Collegein 1970, it was quite an accident. Inever heard of Swarthmore, eventhough I was raised in Philadel-phia. Ihad a master’s from Howard, and Iwent to Penn for another master’s and18
MARTIN NATVIGa Ph.D. When the semester started, aprofessor came to a department meeting.He said, “We have the best peoplein our class. They come from the highestacademic circles. We have studentsfrom Harvard, and we have studentsfrom Princeton. So, therefore, you allare in a wonderful group, with theexception of you,” and he pointed tome—the only black person in theroom-—and said, “I understand youhave come from an inferior educationalbackground.” I’m not lying to you.He said that. He said, “You have comefrom an inferior educational background,so we’ll make exceptions inyour case.” It was 1966. I was the onlyAfrican American in the entire program.I sat there, and I said to myself, “I’mnot going to let him get away withthis— even if I get thrown out of graduateschool.” And I said to myself, “Disturbit! Disturb it! Because you can’t lethim get away with it! Disturb it! Disturbit! Because you can’t allow it!” So Isaid, “I’ve only taken one course here,but I agree with you. That course(which he taught) was totally inferiorto what I have been used to.”He said, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry.” Doyou know, that man turned out to be“WHAT I RESPECTED,WHAT GOT METHROUGH, WERE THESTUDENTS ... HOWBRIGHT THEY WEREAND HOW THEYTHOUGHT. I ALSOWANTED TO BE HEREFOR THE BLACKSTUDENTS.”DENIED TENURE, MORGAN WENT TO COURT,JOINING A DISCRIMINATION SUIT BROUGHT BYSEVERAL FEMALE EMPLOYEES. BEFORE THEVERDICT, THE COLLEGE CHANGED ITS MIND.my best friend in graduate school? Hereally got me through. He said he wasyoung. He was inexperienced, and hehad a graduate school class that wasoverwhelming for him. And he didn’tknow what else to do. He was totallyinsensitive. He didn’t know, and hebecame my best friend. He’s dead now,but I will never forget him.So I had gotten a Danforth Fellowship,along with a white woman. Webecame friends, and she lived inSwarthmore. I had never heard ofSwarthmore. She had never known anyAfrican Americans. Anyway, she calledme up one night. She said, “You’regoing to kill me.”I said, “Why? What have you done?”She said, “I’ve dropped your name.Swarthmore College is a wonderful college.It’s very unique, and people aredying to go there. Well, they were sayingthey couldn’t find any AfricanAmericans qualified to teach at SwarthmoreCollege. So I dropped your name,and they will be in touch with you.”I wanted to teach, but my ambitionwas to go to Lincoln University, a blackuniversity right up here in Pennsylvania,not too far from Swarthmore. Ithought, “If they can’t find any qualifiedAfrican Americans, then I don’tS E P T E M B E R 2 0 0 019
Page 1 and 2: SWARTHMOREC O L L E G E B U L L E T
Page 3 and 4: DepartmentsL e t t e r s 3Our “No
Page 5 and 6: LAY OFF THE BEEFI was very sorry to
Page 7 and 8: C o m m e n c e m e n t 2 0 0 0Tech
Page 9 and 10: H u m a nc o m m o n a l i t yF R O
Page 11 and 12: F A N T A S Y F O O T B A L L G U R
Page 13 and 14: GEORGE WIDMANCOACH KAREN BORBEE TEA
Page 15 and 16: There it is in black and white in S
Page 17 and 18: somewhat different mix of writers,a
Page 19: COURTESY OF KATHRYN MORGANhistory i
Page 23 and 24: throw them out, and maybe you would
Page 25 and 26: MARTIN NATVIGsuit who won. The othe
Page 27 and 28: JULIE MARQUARTARCHITECT STEVE IZENO
Page 29 and 30: MATT WARGOwould be the right place
Page 31 and 32: ONE PROJECT THAT IS CLOSE TO STEVE
Page 33 and 34: ode: In the 1960s, a beatnik, or bo
Page 35 and 36: A L U M N I C O U N C I LY O U R O
Page 37 and 38: C o s m i cAlmost 60 years after hi
Page 39 and 40: Margaret Lavinia Anderson’63, Pra
Page 41 and 42: I N M Y L I F ES W A R T H M O R E
Page 43 and 44: A L U M N I P R O F I L ES W A R T
Page 45 and 46: S W A R T H M O R E C O L L E G E B
Page 47 and 48: O U R B A C K P A G E SS W A R T H
Page 49: S W A R T H M O R EH O M E C O M I

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