HISTORY NOT THE SAME FOR EVERYBODY

When I first started covering La Grange for another publication a decade ago, some of the most intriguing folks I met resided in the neighborhood commonly known as the East Side, for it seemed as though many of them had lived two distinct lives.

Some of the residents I befriended came from the South, where living was easy but where they said racism was still running rampant in the 1950s of their youth.

As African Americans, they were used to the fact that in some people's eyes, slavery may have been long gone but still lived on in the way they were treated, all too often as second-rate citizens.

They were used to "white only" water fountains and "white only" public restrooms, and they felt if they came up north to start a new life, things would be different. After all, it was believed, folks up here had a different view of "colored" people.

But no sooner than they got off the bus -- the back of the bus, no doubt -- did they encounter the same kind of discrimination they were used to back home, without the signs, right here in La Grange.

Not only were blacks prohibited from patronizing the dress shops on the west side of Fifth Avenue (La Grange Road as it is known today), but they couldn't share seats alongside whites at the Walgreens lunch counter -- that is, as one longtime East Sider once recalled to me, until they staged a sit-in to force attitudes and policies to change.

Someone even told me once the name on the YMCA, Rich Port, only reminded them of times gone by. After all, Port headed up the state real estate association at a time when redlining (discrimination in housing) was stll a common practice.

Spurred to action by the likes of Rosa Parks -- who in 1955 refused to obey a bus driver's order that she give up her seat to make room for a white passenger -- the residents of La Grange's East Side embraced their civil rights and made many a stand, only sometimes with success on their side.

One of the biggest falacies perpetuated about the East Side is that the neighborhood is where the servants of area white families lived. But while that may be true, many old-timers also tell stories of how some of their homes were actually moved there from the West Side of town decades earlier. Some of those very homes still stand east of Bluff Avenue (and the tracks, ironically) to this day.

Another disputed fact is that the annual Pet Parade has always been held downtown. The parade, according to many longtime East Siders, started on the East Side, where it had its beginnings as a bicycle and dog march to the sound of pots and pans. I guess we'll never really know for sure.

And while blatant racism does not seem to be as prevalent nowadays, as children are even taught to embrace diversity in the classroom, we are still often reminded about our differences and should never forget those times.

Though some will attest how far we have come, we may not have come that far after all, especially given the attitudes of some folks regarding our Democratic nominee for president. You don't have to go that far from the city to find people who still vote for or against color and creed.

That's why the efforts of The CommUNITY Diversity Group of La Grange* are so vital in today's society: to teach everyone to not only embrace diversity, but to really understand what racism and discrimination is all about.

At 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 12., the film "The Great Debaters" will be shown at the La Grange Public Library, 10 W. Cossitt Ave. The movie, a real eye-opener, portrays the struggles of a 1930s debate team from a historically black Texas college, and a discussion is to follow. It would benefit anyone to come by.
Then, 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 14, is the 17th Annual Race Unity Rally and Diversity Days outside La Grange Village Hall, 53 S. La Grange Road. The more the merrier.

The event will feature speakers and a musical tribute to La Grange native John Lewis, who directed the Modern Jazz Quartet, one of the longest running and most successful jazz ensembles of all time.

Performing selections of Lewis' music will be La Grange resident and composer and arranger Jack Gallagher and Tom Tallman, music professor and director of jazz ensembles at the College of Du Page in Glen Ellyn.

The theme to this year's rally, coordinated in part by event chairwman Linda Eastman,
is "Building a More Inclusive Community" and will focus on integration and housing.
The keynote will be by Rob Breymaier, executive director of the Oak Park Regional Housing Center, a national model for sustaining diverse communities.

A fair housing advocate, Breymaier is expected to discuss strategies that foster integration and examine what perpetuates segregation.
An annual achievement award will be presented to Debra Williams, pastor of Davis Memorial AME Church in La Grange, recognizing her commitment and support of diversity.
In addition, several teens are scheduled to speak on their experiences of diversity.

*An interesting footnote is that the CommUNITY Diversity Group had its roots in the aftermath of the 1991 videotaped beating of African-American taxicab driver Rodney King at the hands of Los Angeles police officers, after being chased for speeding.
The resulting public outrage after the King incident raised tensions between the black community and the LAPD, increased anger over police brutality and issues such as unemployment, racial tension, poverty and profiling. When the four officers accused of the beating were acquitted, the announcement sparked the 1992 Los Angeles riots, which of course had nothing to do with La Grange.