Wellesley High School - Wellesleyan Yearbook (Wellesley, MA)

Page 24 text:

BLOOD PEOPL E LAND Time Out for Black Thoughts We gave you Jackie Robinson, Althea Gibson, Arthur Ashe, Willie Mays, Roy Campanella, Jimmy Brc wn and Satchel Page. We gave you Louis, Johnson, Hayes, Jesse Owens, Sugar Ray. But black is mud and thunderstorms And evil deeds and boogeymen, While white is angel food and clouds And purity and heaven. We invented the cotton planter, Fire escapes, the shoe-last machine. The synchronour multiplex railway telegraph, The automatic lubricator. Electromagnetic brake apparatus, Golf tees, potato chips and lawn mowers. But black is mud and thunderstorms And evil deeds and boogeymen, While white is angel food and clouds And purity and heaven. Dr. Charles Drew, whose research Led to blood banks, saving lives, Bled to death when a white hospital refused him. Dr. Martin Luther King preached Non-violence, received the Nobel Peace Prize And was shot to death by a white man . But black is mud and thunderstorms And evil deeds and boogeymen, While white is angel food and clouds And purity and heaven. But black is also new-plowed earth, And licorice and chocolate pudding. Black is also ebony — Seal skin and velvet dresses. Black is mystery and caviar, Ripe olives and eagle feathers. Black is softness, gentle midnight, Summer evenings bathed in starlight. While white, when blind to all the rest, Is Klan, decay and death.

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Our Community , Wellesley, Has Had an Impact on Us Through Our High School Years Wellesley Free Library The Wellesley Inn Friendly ' s We are aware that since Wellesley is a fairly affluent community with many professional people as residents, adults in Wellesley are concerned about having a strongly academic high school that prepares us (80% in last year’s class) for college. But, we feel that the community at some point must recognize that not all of us are college-bound, therefore, we should have a high school strong in all areas (e.g., vocational training, career preparation, etc.). During our short stay at the high school, we have seen these types of programs develop and become a more ingrained part of the high school curriculum; for example, Work-Study, Independent Study, Distributive Education, Alternate Semester, and Y.E.S. After graduation from high school, when we enter a wider world of experience, we will come to realize that Wellesley is a mini-world, a reflection of the suburban middle class experi¬ ence in America. Left: Village Church 17

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Metco Means Experiences in Two Communities: Boston and Wellesley Busing is . . . The 6:00 alarm ringing and the My, My, My’s” of David Adams till 7:00 when you hustle for your bus stop just when Keep on Truckin’’ comes on. It ' s the dawning of the morning, the snow white in the day, and the dark when you return home again. It’s the bumps and shuttles of the Riverside trolley when you missed the bus. It’s the lost friendships only to be regained on weekends. It’s the cry for a warm ebony hand, only to echo in shallow white-washed halls. It’s discovering that not everyone knows you ' re Black. It ' s the warm womb of the METCO office and Mrs. Ramsey asking “Don ' t you have a class? It ' s Robin telling a corny joke and Worthy being the only one to laugh. It’s a conversation between Robin, Cheryl, and Arthur turning into a mass argument. It’s Luis’ Woo!” and Robbie ' s You’re -— right Luis. It ' s Arlene’s soft, sweet voice bellowing, Check it out. It ' s Rosemary ' s eyes and Walter ' s hat. It’s Gary’s head and Joel’s latest invented comb. It ' s Tibits, Guy, Karen, Jimmie, Shelia, Kenny, Freddy, Teddy, Judith, Sandra, Deane, Derek,. . . It’s a shadow in all the light. But most of all, busing is an education for Blacks, so that future Black generations won’t have to be bused. Lady in Waiting Cheryl Worthy Arlene Bennett, Robby Wilson, Phaedra Bruton, Guy Williams Mrs. Ramsey Leanna Lester Time to chat with friends in the cat.