'A Black Mother and Her Daughter Sat Next to Us'
Ms.
Madeline
Hendrickson,
Chino Valley,
Arizona
The year was 1952. It was a dream come true for a very enthusiastic, naive 16-year-old: a real job.
I was hired at the F.W. Woolworth store in Bloomington, Illinois. The job title was extra girl; the job description was to work wherever needed, and that included the lunch counter.
I arrived at work on a Saturday morning and was informed that I would be working at the lunch counter. My training was brief, and my apprehension was running on high. It was my first experience as a waitress. Around noon, I noticed a black couple sitting at the next station. They had been there for quite a while and had not yet been served. I decided to wait on them, even though I had been told not to leave my station without permission.
Almost immediately, I was summoned to the office, where I was advised by my supervisor that serving Negroes was not allowed. She then told me if I had waited a little longer they would have left. I was angry and confused. I asked why they were treated differently on the other side of the store. I fully expected to be fired. I was not, but I have never forgotten the day, the order, or the incident.
The action of an innocent, compassionate teenager did not change anything. The practice of discouraging blacks from dining there continued. I never knew for how long. Some years later, however, thanks to the Civil Rights Movement, I was able to sit at the same lunch counter, at that same station, with my daughter. A black mother and her daughter sat next to us. The little girls shared their ice cream.
