Mrs. Willie Lee Gay - Historian | Mrs. Willie Lee Gay & Glenita Shelvin Lampkin | TEDxSunnyside

Quick Overview

Mrs. Willie Lee Gay recounts her journey growing up in Cameron, Texas, being born in 1932, attending school in Sunnyside, and her later involvement with the NAACP and her church, noting that she was encouraged to speak about history and that the community supported her efforts despite initial political resistance.

Key Points: Mrs. Willie Lee Gay was born in Cameron, Texas, in February 1932. She attended Sunnyside Elementary School, where her first-grade teacher was Mrs. Lena Mercer. She later attended Paul Quinn College and Wiley College, which was then a historically Black college. After college, she became involved with the NAACP and her church, where she was encouraged to speak about history. She mentions that the community, including the mayor, supported her efforts to preserve the history of the Black community in Sunnyside. She recalls that the local Republican party initially tried to push back against her historical presentations. She notes that the historical society she worked with was instrumental in her efforts.

Context: This video features an interview between Glenita Shelvin Lampkin (the interviewer, on the left) and Mrs. Willie Lee Gay (the interviewee, on the right), identified by the interviewer at the start. The discussion centers on Mrs. Gay's life journey, particularly her education and early involvement in civil rights and community history preservation, set against the backdrop of the Sunnyside community.

Detailed Analysis

Mrs. Willie Lee Gay shares memories of her upbringing, starting with her birth in Cameron, Texas, in February 1932. She recalls attending Sunnyside Elementary School, where her first-grade teacher was Mrs. Lena Mercer. After elementary school, she attended Paul Quinn College and Wiley College, which at the time was a historically Black college. Following her education, Mrs. Gay became actively involved in the NAACP and her church. She mentions that she was encouraged by her church to speak about history, specifically the history of the Black community in Sunnyside. She recounts that the community, including the mayor, supported her work, even when the local Republican party tried to stop her from presenting on topics like the history of black citizens in Texas. She specifically mentions that the historical society helped her in her efforts. She also recalls that when she first moved to Houston in 1947, she attended a school that was heavily segregated, and she credits her history teacher, Mr. Pendergrass, and later Mr. Weldon, for encouraging her involvement in preserving local history.