Grandville — History came to life for Grandville High School students last week as a civil rights activist visited students.
In front of a packed auditorium of around 400 students, the Rev. Richard Gleason shared his experience as a member of the Freedom Riders and answered questions from student moderators Pete Heyboer and Lane Taylor.
“Can you imagine if we still had a segregated society?” Gleason said incredulously when Lane queried why he, as a white man, wanted to get involved in the civil rights movement of the 1960s.
Then, turning to those in the audience, he drove home his message: “Why do I get involved in anything? I feel it! I believe it! And I invite you to discover your power to make change in America.”
Lane and Pete organized Gleason’s visit to the high school as leaders of the GHS Historical Society. Lane first met Gleason as a waitress at the retirement community where he lives and suggested he visit the student club; with Pete’s help and support from school leaders, the two turned the idea into a school-wide presentation for history classes and any others interested.
“Last year in (AP U.S. History class) we talked about (the civil rights movement) for a while, and for me it meant a lot to get more of the specifics from (Gleason),” said Lane, a junior. “I think it’s really important to see different perspectives and try to understand all sides before you develop your opinion on something.”
Pete, a senior and founder of the historical society, highlighted the importance of learning history from someone who experienced it.
“We know that history is built upon first-person perspectives, and Rev. Gleason is very much a piece of living history,” he said. “Our interpretation of history is founded on what perspectives we hear most, and … getting these (firsthand) perspectives, for me personally, makes me a better historian. It really does mean a lot to me.”
When History Means Something
The Freedom Riders were civil-rights activists who took bus trips through the Southern U.S. in 1961 to protest local laws that enforced segregated public transportation. In his presentation, Gleason spoke about his personal experiences as a member of this group that changed history, including his arrest in Jackson, Mississippi, in June 1961; participating in the march on Washington with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., in 1963; and attending the funerals of both King and Malcolm X.
He told the students gathered that this work is “in my DNA.” The accomplishment he’s most proud of is the ruling from the Interstate Commerce Commission in the fall of 1961, which officially declared segregation on public buses and facilities to be illegal, as a direct result of the Freedom Rides.
Gleason said he was honored to receive the invitation from Pete and Lane to speak at GHS. The students visited his home, and together they spent more than two hours discussing and preparing for the presentation.
“I can tell that history means something to (Pete and Lane) — that they weren’t thinking of the novelty of (my story), that they wanted to do more than just read about something,” said Gleason, 88. “They’re real leaders, and I was very impressed by them.”
In helping plan the presentation, Pete noted that Gleason’s perspective as a white man helping fight for desegregation was an important voice for students in Grandville to hear.
“We often think of the Civil Rights Movement as a purely Black-driven movement,” the senior said. “I think that understanding how this was, by nature, a biracial movement where people had a plethora of different reasons and motives for coming together to support this — that would be what I hope the students (in the audience) take away from this. … Hopefully they realize that history isn’t a one-way road.”
‘Get something done’
Lane said she was encouraged to see her peers so engaged with Gleason’s story and applauding at several points throughout the presentation.
“I know he was very excited, so seeing everyone come out to show support and enjoy his talk was really great,” she said. “What I hope they take away is the importance of seeking out different perspectives … and that you can turn things around and go on to do great things.”
‘Our interpretation of history is founded on what perspectives we hear most, and … getting these (firsthand) perspectives, for me personally, makes me a better historian.’
— senior Pete Heyboer
The positive response from GHS also bolstered Gleason’s spirits, he said. Several dozen students waited in line following the presentation to meet the Freedom Rider, ask questions and take photos with him, which he did not anticipate — but deeply appreciated.
“Frankly, I’m having a difficult time with what’s going on in the world today, with truth not being important anymore,” he told SNN. “But I was really assured by some of the comments (the students) said to me. That they heard this story of someone who’s been able to get something done, and they want to do something (as well). I think it’s going to be very motivating.
“To find that so many were open to hearing from me, I really wasn’t expecting that. I’m just so pleased that they heard me. I hope that they were able to sense that I see in them potential that they don’t see in themselves.”
Read more from Grandville:
• Future CFO on next step: ‘an actual dream come true’
• A career in auto repair? For some students, it starts in high school
