My name is Evangeline Hill-Johnson. I lived in Littleton, Virginia where my Father was sharecropper so of course, I lived on a farm in 1965. I have often thought about the summer of 1965 and what happened to Peggy Poole, Elkie Whitenbruth who was a German exchange student and Gary, and Phil. I am forever grateful to all of you. Thank you!
I was a junior member of the NAACP and was involved in helping with the voter registration efforts. I remember attending the rallies in Waverly and Wakefield. It was an experience that words cannot accurately describe. It was motivation to get as many people registered as possible. I also enjoyed working closely with Elkie and few of the guys.
The memory that sticks with me is the time Elkie, a couple of the guys and myself attempted to enter a restaurant near Stoney Creek, VA. The door immediately slammed shut and a big sign was posted in the door. Another memory is one night we were driving back from Stony Creek and a car tried to run us off the road near Central High School. We were very blessed that it was not successful.
I also remember that in late August an FBI Agent came to my house and questioned me about the restaurant incident. Just last year I had sent a request to get a copy of the report because I wanted to show my daughter and grandson that I participated in the Civil Rights Movement voter registration. Of course I did not at that time have proper details and they could not find the report.
My Father became ill, we left the farm in 1967 and we moved to Southampton County. The day after I graduated from High School I went to New York for a job, I lived there a long time, married, and later lived in South Carolina. Because of my job I ended up here in Washington State in the Seattle area.
I retired in 2012 and of course most of my work years were spent helping others. I became a Civilian Navy Meditator and EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) Specialist. I still help others as that is just a part of my nature.
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