Willie Stevenson Glanton: Tennessee State University Alum and Human and Civil Rights Trailblazer

Rep. Willie Stevenson Glanton

On July 6, 2017, Rep. Willie Stevenson Glanton, Iowa’s first Black female legislator died at 95. A Humanitarian and Civil Rights legend, Rep. Glanton, had many ties to the Nashville community. She and her husband, Judge Luther T. Glanton, were graduates of Tennessee State University. According to TSU’s yearbook, Ayeni, Rep. Glanton graduated in 1942 and her husband, Judge Glanton, graduated in 1939. The Glantons were aunt and uncle to 1980 TSU alum and local attorney, Luvell Glanton. He credits them for being role models to him as well as other members of the Glanton family.

In the Ole South, when Black folks were still drinking from colored only water fountains, could not enter the front door of many establishments, or even marry outside their race; Rep. Glanton was blazing trails as a woman and a person of color. She was the first woman elected to the Iowa General Assembly; the first woman to become assistant Polk County attorney; the first woman and first Black person elected president of the Iowa Chapter of the Federal Bar Association; the first Back attorney at the U.S. Small Business Administration in 1966 and the first Black member of the Des Moines City Council in 1985.

Rep. Glanton, a native of Hot Springs, Arkansas, was raised by her father and mother, a businessman and a teacher, who were very active in voter registration education with the Negro Civic League. Her early childhood educators were influencers who encouraged her to attend college.  Her abilities to speak and write well led her to TSU. While at TSU, Rep. Glanton was an excellent student and was a member of several clubs and collegiate organizations; Personality Torch Bearers, Alba Rosa Club, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Secretary of Forensic Society, Student Christian Association, Alpha Iota Business Fraternity, History Study Club and Miss Arkansas 1941. After graduating with a B.S. in business, Rep. Glanton spent seven years “having a great time getting to know Washington, D. C.” where she met leaders like Mary McCloud Bethune. She earned her law degree from Robert H. Terrell Law School and started working with the U. S. War Department. 

Judge Glanton takes the Oath of Office

In 1942, when Rep. Glanton was graduating from TSU, her future husband, Judge Glanton, was graduating from Drake Law School, where he was the first Black Student. Following his graduation, Judge Glanton joined the U. S. Army and served as an intelligence officer during World War II. After the war, he served on the staff of U.S. chief prosecutor, Robert Jackson, at the Nuremberg trials, which prosecuted prominent members of Nazi Germany who had participated in executing millions of Jews during the Holocaust. Judge Glanton remained active in the U.S. Army Reserves for many years, retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He later became Iowa's first Black judge in 1959.

When the Glantons started their legal careers after TSU, segregation was deeply woven into the fabric of America. In 1939, when Judge Glanton graduated, World War II was beginning. In 1942, when Rep. Glanton graduated and Judge Glanton from Drake University, Blacks were being lynched throughout the South. In 1948, President Truman outlawed segregation in the military that Judge Glanton had already served in for six year. By then, Judge Glanton had helped take to trial the Nazis who started WW II.

The Glantons were married in 1951. One year after Rep. Glanton passed the bar in Iowa in 1953, she became the first woman assistant attorney in Polk County, Iowa. Judge Glanton was the first Black assistant county attorney in 1951. In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court Ruled on Brown v. Board of Topeka Kansas. In August 1955, Emmett Till was murdered in Mississippi for allegedly whistling at a white woman. And, in December 1955, the Montgomery Bus Boycott started. As the Glantons were setting up their offices and would eventual become a legal power couple, our country was bursting at the seams with the desperate need for legal minds to fight segregation and racism in the courtrooms at the local, state, and federal levels. The Glantons fought segregation and racism on all fronts, at home and abroad.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott

In 1964, when Rep. Glanton ran for office for the Iowa General Assembly, Congress passed the Civil Rights Act, declaring discrimination based on race illegal. The 24th Amendment abolished the poll tax, which originally had been established in the South after Reconstruction to make it difficult for poor blacks to vote. Even though those gains were momentous, the fight for equality was met with violence and indifference. During that same year, three civil rights workers, Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner, disappeared in Mississippi. They were found buried six weeks later.

At the time she decided to run for public office, Rep. Glanton knew her race would play a major factor in her bid. Nevertheless, it did not stop her. In a statement to the Carrol Times on July 11, 1964, she stated, “I am a Negro and I think anyone would be conscious of this.” The paper goes on to state that she deplored the inevitable speculation that she may be running just to prove a Negro can be elected. “I think the only way to combat,” she stopped and began again, “I would hope that the substance of what I had to say would take care of that.” 

She won, of course. And made headline news around the world.

Luvell Glanton, TSU '80

When Luvell Glanton was asked about his rich, family’s legacy and the gains they championed for Human and Civil Rights vs. today’s racial climate of our country, he stated, “My uncle and aunt would be having a fit! However, they would not be sitting on the sidelines laying down. They would be actively protesting and helping to make changes by challenging the injustices that we are seeing. We are not fighting anymore. We are allowing what we are seeing to happen.” He further stated, “I attended Drake University because of my uncle who was then a board trustee. He pushed me and made me do what I needed to do to become successful. We are a family of lawyers and doctors. My son, Luvell, Jr. is a M.D., and my nieces, Jerice Glanton and Syeta Glanton, are lawyers. They followed their examples as well. My uncle and aunt were very well connected throughout their careers. Many are not aware of this but Attorney General Robert Kennedy wanted him to serve in his administration had he lived and won.”

According to Des Moines University website: 

Rep. Willie Stevenson Glanton and Judge Luther T. Glanton circa mid '80s.

 In 2004, to honor the Glantons’ leadership, service and commitment to justice and education, Des Moines University established the Luther T. Glanton Jr. and Willie Stevenson Glanton Fund. With donor contributions, the fund provides scholarships for minority students, under-represented in health care, and supports programming that helps all DMU students become more culturally competent health professionals. DMU’s annual Glanton Dinner has since become a signature event that brings together hundreds of people representing civic, business and nonprofit organizations.

 Rep. Willlie Stevenson Glanton and Dr. Angela Walker Franklin, 15th President DMU

The Nashville ties with the Glantons do not stop with family or TSU. Meharry has a connection as well. Judge Glanton joined the DMU Board of Trustees in 1979; when he died in 1991, Rep. Glanton took his place on the board and became its chair in 1999 and served until 2012. When former executive Vice President and provost of Meharry Medical College, Dr. Angela Walker Franklin, became the 15^th president of DMU in spring 2011, a close friendship developed between the two women. On the passing of Rep. Glanton, Dr. Franklin stated, “Mrs. Glanton was an inspiration to so many. She was a trailblazer, an innovator, a champion for women and minorities, and all around friend and mentor. She meant so much to me as I assumed my role at DMU. I am there for many reasons. One in particular is because she was there on the board, an encouraging and supportive spirit.”

Rep. Glanton was very involved in her church and many civic organizations. She  received numerous awards over her lifetime and was inducted into the Iowa Women's Hall of Fame in 1986 and chosen as on of Des Moines Registers' "10 most influential Black Iowans of the 20th Century."

A wake will be held from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. July 14, with tributes starting at 5:30. The memorial service will start at 11 a.m. July 15 at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 4114 Allison Ave.,  Des Moines, Iowa followed by burial at McLarens Resthaven Cemetery in West Des Moines.

Sources: Newspapers.com, Carrol Times, TSU’s Ayeni, American Bar Association, Des Moines Register and DMU.

               

Championing Diversity From the Inside Out

Having been raised by Mississippi Civil Rights foot soldiers (my grandparents, parents, and family) I was spoon feed diversity and inclusion. I knew first hand that 'isms" of all sorts existed in many Southern, rural communities. But raising my children in Tennessee taught me "isms" were not exclusive to rural communities of my youth. I, like the two generations before me, have always embraced everyone. My deep close personal friends in my private life backgrounds and racial makeup are as beautiful as the rainbow and are uniquely and wonderfully made as the boots I wear. My professional careers mirror my personal life. My customers from my pest control business look like the UN and my radio audience has grown to globally.

My multiculturalism-loving lifestyle was giving a wake-up call seven years ago when my son became a Marine. We were suddenly immersed in all things Marine morning, noon and night. We drastically shifted many of our focuses to support his desire to serve his county. We served along with other families and suddenly realized how small the world is when you become part of The Few, The Proud. At the exact same time, I started a radio program, Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes, that gave voice to the veteran and active duty military communities and their families that grew listeners rather quickly.

Initially, many of the voices heard on the show were of WW II MontfordPoint Marines who were the first Black Marines in our country, women in the Marine Corps, and retiring Marines. I was booking guests that I knew well, Marines. The texters loved the stories and gave positive feedback back after each show. One day as I browsing through my text messages, I ran across a text that stated, "There are five branches of the military just in case you were not aware." That simple truthful text reminded me of the many times I have sat on planning committees and have had to remind the committee members of whatever event was being planned more voices than their personal friends who looked like them were needed. In many civic organizations, I have usually been the only woman or person of color and my disdain for the lack of "flavor" for any program is quickly known upfront. My observations at the lack of the diversity are often met with indifference, defensiveness, or "Can you contact the them for us?"

WW2 Veteran Mark H. McCann, Sr. welcome parade at Nia House Montessori School

After reading the text message, I became the defensive one. I mulled over the comment for days and explained the many reasons why there were only Marines on my program. Most of my points were valid and I truly was not trying to omit any other branch. I was booking my friends and who I knew. But to a member of the Army, Navy, Airforce or Coastguard who are much larger in numbers and were loyal followers of the show as well, none of my of excuses sounded reasonable. 

Taking a page out of my grandparents and parents book of life, I decided to be intentional about immersing myself in lives of them, the “other” military branches. I spent time with members of the military who did not say ‘ooh-rah’ until it was as natural for me to contact the Army or Navy as it was the Marines for great profiles. The benefit of being intentional not only grew my audience but my programs became rich with content that everyone could relate too not just The Few, The Proud, The Marines. 

Being diverse and inclusive are active ways to begin addressing race relations. Too often, good intentions start with awkward race relation initiatives before organizers or well meaning folks have tried one of the most effective means of breaking down barriers, being intentional in getting to know someone else, personally and professionally, first. We must be the change we want to see in the world.

(The Nashville Business Journal ran a special issue devoted to Diversity and Inclusion. An edited version of my thoughts from above were posted on Friday, September 9, 2016 titled Expand: I was a champion of diversity, until I wasn't.

Thanks NBJ!)

Perry Wallace Part 2 on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

Genma Holmes inspecting the arrival of Strong Inside at Vanderbilt Press Offices

On Saturday, October 18, 2014 tune in to hear the third interview that focuses on the book, Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South by Andrew Maraniss. Perry Wallace, the first African-American to play sports in the Southeastern Conference will share more about his historic decision to play basketball at Vanderbilt University and he will continue sharing with us his thoughts on the attention he has received over the years. Mr. Wallace will also share what it meant to him to receive a Charles Evans Hughes Fellowship while attending Columbia University.

We will also hear a thought provoking conversation between Andrew Maraniss and Dr. Edwin Hines, a graduate of Howard University and a Meharry trained dentist who has read Strong Inside from cover to cover several times. Listen to an engaging exchange of historical facts about Nashville, cultural differences, The Civil Rights Movement, and generational perspectives between Maraniss who has known Perry Wallace twenty-five years and Dr. Hines who arrived at Meharry around the same time Mr. Wallace was beginning his pioneering journey at Vanderbilt.

Dr. Hines and Andrew Maraniss

Dr. Hines will share with Andrew Maraniss how Strong Inside impacted him, a extremely shy young man coming of age in the tumultuous 60s, and his thoughts after hearing Mr. Wallace speak candidly about his life before and after Vanderbilt. Andrew Maraniss will share what he has learned since the earlier interviews and why his background as a journalist and researcher were vital to telling the Mr. Wallace's story. Hear Hines share why the "Perry Wallaces of the world" need more "Andrews" to bring untold stories to the forefront to empower, inspire, and motivate us to live our best life.

This series about Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Intersection of Race and Sports in the South have captured the hearts and interests of thousands from sea to shining sea. Your texts, emails, and phone calls have been encouraging. Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes has shared your responses with Mr. Wallace and Andrew Maraniss. You can purchase the book here.

Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST

Strong Inside-Book Trailer

Perry Wallace Discusses "Strong Inside" on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

Audio of Perry Wallace's Interview can be found here.
Previous post and audio about Strong Inside with Andrew Maraniss can be found here.

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers  embody, "Be the change you want to see in the world."

 On Saturday, October 11, 2014 tune in to hear the second interview that focuses on the soon to be released book, Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South by Andrew Maraniss. Perry Wallace, the first African-American to play sports in the Southeastern Conference will share from his early childhood, his life in Nashville, and his historic decision to play basketball at Vanderbilt University. Unknown to Mr. Wallace at the time, his decision to attend Vanderbilt University would forever change sports in the south and become a defining moment in race relations in our country.

Listen to Mr. Wallace share how his mother prepped him at an early age to overcome the challenges he later faced in life by teaching him to cope with his asthma. She taught him a relaxation technique he calls "prayer and preparation" which he practiced daily while at Vanderbilt that helped him to manage the intense stress that came with the constant threats and scrutiny. Hear him talk about "getting on the plane to Ole Miss" and why he was determined to see the mission to the end, even if it meant the end of his life.

Mr. Wallace also talks about how he dealt with naysayers by surrounding himself with "friends and friendly people" who supported him. Mr. Wallace will address the isolation that came with being a pioneer and the role of his family in his life. Hear him share why attending Vanderbilt was much bigger than playing sports and why can loose sight of the true purpose of the Civil Rights Movement.

Mr. Wallace will discuss why he left Nashville after his collegiate career at Vanderbilt and how he revisited "Throwback Theater" at an awards ceremony a few years ago that led him to write an essay on bullying. Mr. Wallace talks about being intentional in helping others learned from his defining moments that are etched in our country's history to teach reconciliation and forgiveness of the past while addressing the present and preparing us to have honest dialogues about race relations.

This is part one of a two part interview with Mr. Wallace.

This interview promises to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life.Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST


More About Perry Wallace

Professor Perry E. Wallace received his undergraduate degree in electrical engineering and engineering mathematics from the Vanderbilt University School of Engineering in 1970. He received his law degree from Columbia University in 1975, where he was awarded the Charles Evans Hughes Fellowship.

Professor Wallace was for several years a senior trial attorney at the United States Department of Justice, handling cases involving environmental and natural resources law. He has also served as a securities arbitrator for the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. and the New York Stock Exchange, Inc., and has also been a commercial arbitrator for the American Arbitration Association, Inc. In 1992, he was appointed to a three-year term on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's National Advisory Council for Environmental Policy and Technology. He is a tenured Professor of Law at the Washington College of Law of the American University, where he teaches corporate, environmental and international law.

 

Andrew Maraniss on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

 Update: Audio of show can be found here.

Join Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes as we profile organizations, leaders, and volunteers who lead by example. With extraordinary acts of kindness and charitable giving that help countless lives daily, these organizations, leaders, and volunteers embody "Be the change you want to see in the world."

 

On Saturday, October 4, 2014 tune in to hear one of several interviews that will focus on the life Perry Wallace and "the Collision of Race and Sports in the South" with Andrew Maraniss who will discuss his first book, Strong Inside.  Maraniss will share about Perry Wallace's, (the first African-American to play sports in the Southeastern Conference) early childhood, his life at Pearl High School, and his historic decision to play basketball at Vanderbilt University. Unknown to Wallace at the time, his decision to attend Vanderbilt would forever change sports in the south and would become a defining moment in race relations in our country.

Maraniss will share how he first learned of one of America's unsung pioneering heroes during his sophomore year at Vanderbilt University. Maraniss wrote about Wallace for a Black Studies class. That initial paper lead to more stories on Wallace by Maraniss when he became the sports editor of Vanderbilt's student newspaper. Maraniss relationship with Perry Wallace continued even when his pen was not writing about him.

Tune in to hear the engaging conversations between the show host, Genma Holmes, and Andrew Maraniss as they  discuss Perry Wallace's great achievements in higher education and his stellar performances on the basketball court that came with isolation, constant worry about his life, and delayed satisfaction. They also discuss the contrast between many Civil Rights Era leaders who were often marching with others and trailblazing Wallace who played alone in arenas filled with taunting jeering crowds while he played basketball games as the only African-American in the SEC.

Stong Inside chronicles not only Perry Wallace's life before and after the game of basketball at Vanderbilt, but time stamps events in Nashville and around the country. The author and host believe that Strong Inside can be used to initiate healthy race relations discussion while giving us an insight into present day events.

This interview promises to empower, inspire, and motivate you to live your BEST life.Tune into 760AM in the Middle Tennessee Region, on Tune In, streaming live online at UStream.TV, and on military bases on Saturdays from 9:00-10:00am CST.

More About Andrew Maraniss

Strong Inside is the first book by Andrew Maraniss. A partner at McNeely Pigott & Fox Public Relations in Nashville, Andrew studied history at Vanderbilt University as a recipient of the Fred Russell – Grantland Rice sportswriting scholarship, earning the school’s Alexander Award for excellence in journalism and graduating in 1992. He then worked for five years in Vanderbilt’s athletic department as the associate director of media relations, dealing primarily with the men’s basketball team. In 1998, he served as the media relations manager for the Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays during the team’s inaugural season, and then returned to Nashville to join MP&F. The son of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and best-selling author David Maraniss and trailblazing environmentalist Linda Maraniss, Andrew was born in Madison, Wis., grew up in Washington, D.C. and Austin, Texas and now lives in Brentwood, Tenn., with his wife Alison, and their two young children.

Follow Andrew on Twitter @trublu24 and visit his website at andrewmaraniss.com.

Photo credits:  Vanderbilt University, Andrew Maraniss, and Genma Holmes

Dr. Marvin Dulaney Talks History of Police and the Black Community on Living Your Best Life with Genma Holmes

As the events in #Ferguson continues to dominate the news cycle on all networks and cable outlets, many have commented on the ever revealing conduct of the police in the area. It is safe to assume that every police chief and police department do not behave in the manner that has been on display in St. Louis but when we have seen makes us pause to examine the history of police and the role they have in community.

On Saturday, August 23, 2014, Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney, Chair of the History Department at the University of Texas at Arlington and author of the, Black Police In America, will address the police and the mistrust of the police that is often whispered about and strikes dread in the Black community. Dr. Dulaney will share insights from his research of the topic for several decades and from building relationships with police organizations around the country. He will give commentary on what is being played out in the media and why it has become so contentious in the small community of Ferguson, Missouri over the last two weeks. Dr. Dulaney will also discuss the origins of the militarization of the police departments and share ways the community can address the discord that has brewing for years.

Dr. Dulaney's book represents the first complete history of blacks in policing, examining black experiences in and influences upon American police departments from Civil War to modern times. From the early black pioneers to the rise of black unionism in the ranks, this presents an excellent social commentary.

 

 Living Your Best Life Radio, radio that empowers, inspires, and motivates you to live your BEST life, can be heard on 760 AM in the Middle-Tennessee Region, Tune In, military bases, and streamed live on U-Stream.TV from 9-10AM CST. This show will also air on WTST, a member of the HBCU radio network (XM 142).

 

 More About Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney

 

Dr. W. Marvin Dulaney is Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of History at the University of Texas, Arlington. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree in American and African-American history at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He has published scholarly articles and reviews in the Journal of Negro History, Civil War History, Southwestern Historical Quarterly, The Houston Review, The Historian, Pacific Historical Review, Texas Journal of Ideas, History and Culture, Legacies, Encyclopedia of African-American Civil Rights, Locus, The Georgia Historical Quarterly, The New Handbook of Texas, Our Texas magazine, African Americans: Their History, the South Carolina Encyclopedia, The New Encyclopedia of Southern Culture, The African American Experience in Texas History: An Anthology, Lone Star Legacy: African American History in Texas, and The Chronicle of Historical Studies. He is the editor of Charleston’s Avery Center: From Education and Civil Rights to Preserving the African-American Experience; Born to Serve: A History of the Woman’s Baptist Educational Missionary Convention of South Carolina; The Avery Review; and the book, Essays on the American Civil Rights Movement. He is author of the book, Black Police in America.

 

 

Previous show on Ferguson with Professor Jelani Cobb can be found here.