Leola Seales

Case manager, housing issues. Born in 1949 Del: What is your definition of the Civil Rights Movement? Leola: The Civil Rights Movement is the Civil Rights Movement. It was a movement of people that were oppressed for so long. Del: How did you participate in activism during the movement? Leola: I have participated in the Civil Rights Movement practically all my life. That is my life. From an early age of nine or ten. I was born in Mississippi and I grew up under the tutelage of Charles Evers and Meager Evers. And Medger Evers was killed in Jackson Mississippi, which is 89 miles away from my home town. And I grow up as a teenager in Mississippi working for Charles Evers in Fayette Mississippi. Who was the mayor at that time and had a leadership program going on. So it is a part of my life. The Civil Rights Movement is my life. Del: In your opinion, would the public protesting and boycotts of the past be an effective way to the change today? Leola: Yes. I believe it would. I know it would. There needs to be more protest in order to make affective changes. Del: What do you think is the most important issue that African Americans have to address today? Leola: The red lining in the banks, red lining in affordable housing, and jobs. It is no different. I'll tell you the difference between Minnesota and Mississippi because I know both states. In Mississippi if someone is racist, you know it right off the bat. Here in Minnesota they throw a brick and then hide their hand. Del: What do you think of the Civil Rights Movement today? Leola: The Civil Rights Movement needs to be more active. We need a rekindling of the Civil Rights Movement in order to get things to move forward. It's at a stand still. Nothing can move forward, because everybody is acting like "hey it's okay, because we did this in the 60's and we don't have to do this now," but it's not okay. It's being smoothed over, smothered over, as if everything is all right and everything is not all right. You have to just sit back there and watch it. Everybody is asking "why are you worried about it?" The reason I'm worried about it is because I have grandchildren. I'm worried about it, because of the fact that I have children who I see are being discriminated against. Del: In what way do you participate in activism today? Leola: I still work with people on issues. Mainly on affordable housing issues that are going on in Minneapolis. Today the new housing that is being built is not affordable housing. It's only if you can afford it. So I do help a lot of people out to see if they can locate affordable housing. There is so much that goes on and there are so many battles to fight. You have to pick the ones you can fight. And on any street that you may go you will see affordable housing signs. But the people cannot afford to pay the rent that the landlords are asking. The landlord's set the rent on what Section 8 is paying, but the government has the money, the people cannot afford to pay that much in rent. Housing needs to be made affordable for all people. Del: How would you define the relationship between the Black Arts Movement and the Civil Rights Movement? Leola: I would not compared the two. Why would you compare black arts to civil rights. There is no definition or comparison for it. Black arts is black arts and civil-rights is civil-rights they are two different things. I can't even put the two together. When you say black arts to me I'm looking at a black artists sitting there doing their work and when I'm looking at civil rights I'm looking at poor people out there struggling in the street. Homeless people that have to go and sleep under the bridges in Minneapolis, Mississippi, Texas, Georgia, Alabama, and the other states. We have more homeless people here in Minnesota than we do in the state of Mississippi. Mississippi has more elected black officials than any other state in America and here in Minneapolis and St. Paul we are still at the first black this, or the first black that. The Southern States went through the struggle of the Civil Rights Movement Minnesota has yet to do that. And IÕm one of those that would like to lead them through it. Del: Control Leola: The government has to been trying to control African Americans all their lives. Minnesota is one of the states that have been trying to figure out what to do with their Negroes ever since they got them. So the word control to me means they are still trying to control us if they can. For Black History month, in the government center, I did an exhibit of Black History in Minnesota and included a photograph of a hanging in Duluth. With the year and a date that it happened under the photograph. And the director of the government center did not think it was self explanatory. And he wanted to downside the photograph. What different did downsizing of the photograph make? It happened. So that's control. Del: Dehumanize Leola: I feel that they tried to dehumanize me by saying that the juries going through the building would be influenced. And my question is if that one picture hanging there about the hanging in Duluth would influence the jurors weren't their minds made up before they came there. And if you pull out statistics on Minneapolis and Minnesota we have more black people locked up in jail than any other state in United States of America. Why? Because it is a job for somebody else to hold. Del: Stigma Leola: That is going on to. They stigmatize and tell us what they would like us to be like. If I knew I had to go down to the Government Center and entertain them for Black History month I would've bought my banjo and served them mint juleps. Del: Traumatize Leola: I was traumatized by the incident that happened at the Government Center in Minneapolis regarding the photograph of the lynching in Duluth. Del: Loss Leola: I don't feel the incident was a loss, more than 10,000 people went through the government center for Black History month this year. If I know I am right on the issue I will stick by it. And I hate to see the lost generation of people out there, especially in the younger African American community. I think they need to be taught about history. Del: Identity Leola: Some African Americans cannot identify. But I can speak for myself and I can identify. Del: Survival Leola: A lot of people survived the Civil Rights Movement and a lot of people did not survive the Civil Rights Movement. Some identified with it and some did not. It's the same thing today. Some people do not even want to talk about the Civil Rights Movement. And for some it doesn't matter, some overlook it like it never happened and they want to ignore it. Del: Inspire Leola: I am very much inspired by it as you can tell. I love who I am and I can identify with who I am. I know the value of African American people. I know the struggle of African American people. I know who I am and I'm OK with that. Del: Hope Leola: I have lots of hope for my people and I hope they can survive what is happening to them. Because some people of color go into these jobs and you hear horror stories that are just unbelievable. I hope we can find funds for affordable housing for poor people, because parents and children are suffering. Del: Closure Leola: During this civil rights struggle that I have been in all of my life, and I still encounter sometimes, I would like to see the state of Minnesota move closer toward the civil rights era.

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