A00356 - A Special Thank You to Hugh Price and An Expression of Great Gratitude to the Alphas and Omegas

 As is my custom, I want to send a special thank you to Hugh Price, Amherst College Class of 1963, for the email set forth below.  Hugh is quite right that it "took a village" to break through the barrier memorialized by the Murray v. Pearson case.  Indeed, looking behind the scenes one is impressed by the commitment of Charles Hamilton Houston, Amherst College Class of 1915, in molding the perfect advocate (Thurgood Marshall) and developing the perfect plaintiff (Donald Murray) to begin the assault on segregation in education.  In my mind, it was not a mere coincidence that Murray (a fellow Amherst College graduate) would prove to be the ideal plaintiff, and that Marshall, Houston's star Howard University pupil, would be the ideal advocate.  Houston really was a brilliant legal strategist who was playing grand master level chess.


I also wanted to pick up on Hugh's comments regarding the Alphas.  In my research, there were two prominent African American fraternal organizations that played a major role in the Civil Rights movement.  The first is Alpha Phi Alpha 


and the second was Omega Psi Phi


Both organizations played a significant role in Civil Rights issues and both organizations had prominent Amherst College graduates as members.  


What could be a subject of discussion for a later time is the tension that existed between the Alphas and the Omegas over the Alphas being perceived as an elitist and light skinned organization giving rise to the foundation of the Omegas as a more egalitarian and diversely colored organization. It speaks of a social dynamic that, in some ways, still exists today.

Peace,

Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Class of 1975
Fairfield, California
December 8, 2024



----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Hugh Price 
To: "skipjen2865@aol.com" <skipjen2865@aol.com>
Cc: 
Sent: Monday, November 25, 2024 at 07:51:22 AM PST
Subject: Re: Donald Gaines Murray (Amherst College Class of 1934), Douglass High School Graduate and Plaintiff in the Civil Rights Case "Murray v. Pearson

Skip,

Thanks so much for the rich and fascinating history lesson! I recall the landmark Murray case but had no idea he was an Amherst grad. Which makes the fact that the legendary Houston/Marshall tandem represented him all the more important in terms of Amherst history. Was also heartening to read about the indispensable catalytic and supportive roles played by the Alphas.  It took a village to break through that barrier. 

Hugh

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