Messmer production chronicles civil rights marches
Students get history lesson from those who were there

By Amy Guckeen
Catholic Herald Staff

MILWAUKEE — Audiences of Messmer High School’s Nov. 2 and 3 performance of “March on Milwaukee: A Memoir of the Open Housing Protests,” were transported to a much more volatile time in the city’s history.

Messmer is the first high school to produce the play which chronicles the 1967 marches, protests and race riots that resulted in an open housing law in Milwaukee.

“I thought it would be a great way to learn history with a strong local element,” said director Maripat Wilkinson. “I thought I would capitalize on the timeliness and bring to life what that struggle was all about.”

Students involved in extra-curricular drama tackled the challenging subject, bringing to life the struggles of civil rights activists. To prepare for their roles, Wilkinson invited Vel Phillips, a central character in the play, and playwright Margaret Rozga, who married the late James Groppi after he left the priesthood, to speak with students about their personal experiences. As a priest, Fr. Groppi was a prominent civil rights leader of the time.

“I wanted the students to realize what a big responsibility they had when depicting a true story about real people,” Wilkinson said. “They really brought insight and emotion to the words and added much more depth and detail than could be portrayed in the script.”

Phillips was the first African-American woman to graduate from the University of Wisconsin — Madison law school in 1951, the first woman to sit on Milwaukee’s Common Council, the first woman judge in Milwaukee County, the first African American to serve in Wisconsin’s judiciary and the first woman and African American Secretary of State. She spoke openly on Oct. 31 to the cast about her struggles.

“They would dump urine, feces, everything on us,” Phillips said of the treatment the civil rights activists encountered. “Eggs were a treat. I once received a letter from a man that had brown streaks all over it. At the bottom of the letter he had written, ‘If you see brown streaks I just want you to know I used this letter for toilet paper.’”

Students were shocked and amazed at the tales Phillips told.

“The cast came out of those encounters with a sense of awe that these people they are portraying could be so courageous and persistent even when met with hate and discouragement from many sides and for many months,” Wilkinson said.

“What inspired me was how much she had to overcome and how she did it all without giving up,” Shaquanda Dalton, a sophomore who played Mary/Norma Britton. “It inspired me to never give up and instead work harder at my dreams and whatever I hope to accomplish.”

“People like Ms. Phillips are a blessing,” said Melvin Coulter, a junior at Messmer who played Ronald Britton in the play. “I think God put people like her here to be an example and shining light to us all.”

Students walked away from the play with not only a history lesson, but also inspiration for the difference they can make in the world.

“Hard work and dedication is key,” said Shamari Saleem, the senior who played Phillips. “You can accomplish great things with hard work and persistence.” “No matter what obstacles get thrown your way, keep going and fighting for what you believe,” said Diamonique Felder, a junior who played a NAACP Youth Council member.

Wilkinson agreed.

“The bottom line message of this play is to stand up for what you know is right and don’t give up,” Wilkinson said. “One person can make a difference; a group of people with a common cause can change the world. It was extremely gratifying to see the students get this and admire this. I know they have a feeling of, ‘If they could do it, why can’t I?’ And that is everything.”

“I never felt like I wanted to give up,” Phillips told students. “Everything I wanted was for the poor and the disadvantaged. If you come out of love and respect, you don’t feel those arrows.”

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