So I'll start by just
asking a little bit about yourself, okay?
And where you grew up, Okay.
Went to school, okay.
How you met Lonnie, okay?
How Atlanta life and
the professional movement intersected with the.
Okay. Okay. Is that good?
Yeah. And then you can just talk.
Well, I'll let you, okay?
Okay. Whatever that's great is.
Okay. Perfect.
Sarah Stephens, seen one.
Take one. All right.
I'm not sure of this. Okay. So you can hold it.
So how did you get the original that? Did you have it?
Is that is that like a press photographer
that took that or who took?
Maurice Pennington. He was a photographer at La.
Oh, and he took that. Oh, wow.
I just saw amazing editorial cartoons
up on the wall at AE Center.
And so many. I'm sorry.
I'm sorry. I'm so many of them are still applicable to.
Okay. Who go to say currently,
it's just the top sliver that's in the frame,
so if you want it to be seen if you
want to reference, hold it. Okay.
Okay. Okay.
Talk about. Okay. Okay. Okay.
Okay. Okay.
Cool.
Perfect. Whenever you're ready. Okay.
Yeah.
So, I'm talking today with Sarah Stevens.
Who was involved not
just in the Atlanta student movement,
but was involved in on
the professional side of
folks who were involved in the business community.
Correct. Who were helping to overcome the laws of
Jim Crow in 1,960.61 I guess we'll start.
Miss Stevens. Tell me just a little bit about yourself,
like where you grew up and where you
went to school and how you met one.
Okay. I grew up in Atlanta.
I went to Scholar, Grady Baby,
and I grew up in Grady Homes.
We moved there in 41.
I attended David. How high school?
And of course, this is where I met on
we classmates that nice.
He was ahead of you, right?
No, we've been same class. Really? Mm hm.
Okay.
Yeah, same class.
So you probably so you were there for
the whole student government debacle
where he ran against Vernon Jones?
Vernon Jordan, yeah.
Right. Exactly. Exactly. Yes.
I'm sorry. Can we just have you laid on your lap?
Sure. Let me just move it let me put it there.
Yeah. Yeah. Thank you. Okay. Okay.
Okay. So after high school?
After high school, I attended Savannah State College.
And of course, money became an issue.
I did not get a chance to finish.
But that is where I I went to Savannah State College.
And then eventually I had
enough time at Savannah State
where I did enrolled at Woodrow Wilson Law School.
Did not complete that either because
of some family issue problems.
But education is that,
it was just Savannah State and Woodrow Wilson.
You went to work at Atlanta, I want to work at.
I went to work at Atlanta Life at Atlanta.
Life is where I experienced the Civil Rights movement.
We were asked at Atlanta Life to support the students.
There were some of us to say, yeah,
we could be nonviolent because they made sure
that we could withstand what
we were going to experience with that.
I consented to be a part of the movement.
We were asked to picket
the businesses downtown, Preferably riches.
That is where I was picketing.
And that was quite an experience.
We were told that we could only walk
so many feet from
each other and so many feet from the curb.
Otherwise, we would be arrested.
And it did happen, it happened to one of my coworkers.
She was in front of me and she was a little off.
And so and not only that,
they were concerned because she was so fair.
She'd looked like she was
white and they thought she was white.
And this detective, this car,
drove up beside us and grabbed her and said,
What are you doing in line here?
And of course they put her in a car.
I didn't say anything because we were told
not to break picket line,
wait until we got to the federal property,
which was the US post US Post Office.
And once we arrived at the Post office,
they could not arrest us
because we were on federal property.
And I was picked up
there and we went back and reported what
had happened during that time and the rest.
Whenever they needed us and whatever capacity they needed
us to work in, we were available.
I was available along with some of
the other employees of Atlanta Life Course.
After during that period of time, they decided,
well, in addition to desegregated
Lunch counters, buses or what have you.
We need to do something about these jobs.
So we were asked to apply for positions
with the US Civil Service at that time,
Lockheed and General Motors.
So I went to
the civil service examination and I was blessed.
I did pass, and I was hired by GSA and
others applied for positions with Lockheed,
and they were hired as well as General Motors.
So all this was part of that of
the student movement to
desegregate businesses as well as,
as well as restaurants, stores, or what have you.
But so all of that was part of my experience, so.
And talk a little bit about how you were a trailblazer?
Well, when I, when I was when I passed
the civil service examination and I was,
and I was hired at GSA,
I was informed that I was
the first black female
that they had hired in region four,
in the city of Atlanta and region four.
And of course, I started my career
at Seventh Street and in the 37 Street building,
that was a restaurant called Spray Spray Berries.
And spray Berries had not integrated,
but still very much segregated.
So I could not eat at spray berries.
I could order my food,
but I had to go to back door to pick up my food.
Here I am in a federal building,
could not eat in the spray berries cafeteria.
I took my lunch, I found out that there was
another black female that had been hired
by Housing and Urban Development at the time.
And she was the first black to be hired by Hug,
would eat together cold lunches.
She had a hot plate in her office,
and occasionally we would bring
a can of soup warming on her hot plate.
And that's how we got our hot food.
I would break down, I must admit,
and would order food from
spray berries because they had
very good fresh vegetables and what have you.
And I would go to the back door and pick up my lunch,
go back upstairs, and eat.
When I was called in after
90 days after my 90 day probation, they asked me,
you know, they were pleased with my work and they
assured me that I would be a permanent employees.
To ask if I was concerned about anything,
I suggest I asked if I could extend if they could extend
my lunch hour at least once or twice a month
where I would actually go someplace and get a hot lunch.
They apologized for the fact I was not able
to eat the sprayberry.
They did give me permission to travel from
Peachtree Seven to Orban Avenue
to have lunch at BB Beams Restaurant.
Elizabeth Stamps and myself did it for quite a while.
And then eventually before we left Peachtree Seven,
he was ordered to integrate the business.
And he did. When I went in
for the first time to have my dinner at Sprayberry,
Mr. Sprayberry apologized to me.
He said, I'm so sorry I said, no,
no problem And that's what happened.
So that was another part that
so Mr. Spraberry was the man who owned by. Mm hm.
Mm hm. So he could have decided to enter or Well,
we think I don't think that he could because I
don't whether the state had a lot to do with it,
but we I just could not eat there.
And once it became
a federal law right then I could eat there.
So but but he like I say,
he apologized because oftentimes I would I actually
wanted a hot meal and I would go
to the back door to get the meal.
But he did when I went in
the front door and sat down, he apologized.
When you had to when you went in
the back door to get your food those times,
what did it make you feel like?
You know, I just
felt like I knew what the mission was all about.
And I guess I was more determined.
You got to stick with this.
Don't let this get to you,
because eventually if if you stop,
then what is going to happen?
So I I don't know, I just felt like really
fighting in and just say, well, I can do it.
This is not going to last forever but
I need to do something to make a difference.
I don't know that. I never
felt like I was less than anybody else.
I just knew that time was
what time understanding and
love would be the thing to change what we
were experienced and what I was experiencing anyways.
And that would have been with
spray berries would have been
integrated in 64 or earlier.
I'm trying to remember.
It must have been 64 because I started.
Yeah. 63. 64 0 H
Because I think that was on the federal law.
Yeah. 64, Right.
Exactly. The Federal building. Exactly. Exactly.
In your career at GSA, did you?
Because I know a lot of the folks
who participated in the movement
felt like after the federal buildings were integrated,
after the lunch counters were integrated,
and especially after the schools were integrated,
that it was okay and things were going to be okay.
You were able to move on. Was that your experience too?
Well, yes, I did.
I had well, let me put it this way,
some of the coworkers were, let me see.
Naturally, I was only black.
And I knew I could feel
the tension with some of the white Coca workers.
Some were very nice and there were others that
just very uncomfortable with
me sitting beside and working with them.
And I knew that I could feel that.
But just like everything else,
there's always an opportunity for you to help
this person that it has been a little difficult,
something that invariably happens
that you would have to do something to show them,
hey, we end this together,
you know, everything is fine, I'm okay.
I had some bosses that were awesome.
And I said this because they
recognized my the contribution I made to the agency.
They were very pleased with my work.
I was pleased with my work and everything else,
and they were very, very fair.
I never had to ask for a raise,
anything, because they just saw by.
But I produced and therefore I was rewarded for that.
The females, I think
there was only two that had a problem with me.
And it's simply because of what happened
is our supervisor was
out for a couple of
days and the boss asked that I just sort of supervised.
And one of the young lady said that I,
her husband forbidden her to take orders from me.
So the boss said, okay,
then you can just stay home with your husband.
So and after that, you know,
I didn't really didn't have any problems,
but I had a problem initially because it just,
you know, while you were ready, everybody else is in.
Did you have any defenders among
your coworkers who were who were white,
who said, we're not going to put up with a zia, Was it?
Well, my boss, he was the
one he just told them the way he felt.
If they could not work with me,
you know, then this is the way it was going to be.
And if they had a problem with that,
then perhaps they need to leave.
So, and I didn't have no problems. None whatsoever.
Did you finish out your career?
You Yes, I did.
Well, actually I was with GSA for 22 years.
And in 1967, President Johnson decided that he wanted
to be more open and more accessible to the public.
And he decided that they needed to
do something so that the government
could be more well like,
accessible to the public.
And, and, and so what he wanted,
he decided that he wanted
information out at some place the public could call or go
to get information about the federal government something
and not get what they called the federal runaround right.
So what they did,
they decided that they were going to
establish United States Federal Information Center.
And GSA was tapped to be to do the prototype.
And in order to staff this center, this new center,
there were seven agencies that were
to tap someone in the agency to represent the agency.
To help staff the Federal Information Center,
they posted the job on the bulletin board.
And all of the job description just unbelievable.
And the requirements and I looked at it,
I would love to have the job,
but I did not meet the requirements.
I did not have a Master's degree.
And at that a Master's degree and sociology,
something else you had to have a degree in Master's in.
So I just didn't know this is,
I might as well forget about it.
But I knew that I love
the public and I could do the work,
but I didn't think about it.
And one day I walked into
work and the secretary said to me,
Nazi, who was my boss
at the time, He would like to see you.
That's okay. So I went into
his office and we had we talk.
He said, well, we need to go to Fred Hobson's office.
That was his boss. I thought, what have I done?
You know, you always think these things when you
don't black said, what have I done?
So I didn't know what I said, what have I done?
So anyways, we went to Fred Hobson's office.
And when we get to Fred Hobson's office,
Fred Hobson says, he said,
well, I guess you're wondering why you're here.
Said, yes, I am. He said, well,
the president has tapped GSA to,
to staff this new federal agency
called the Federal Information Center.
And we are each what they call,
they were called delivery agencies at the time.
We are to staff one from
each one of the delivery agencies.
So, the regional administrator
whom I had never really met, just spoken to,
you know, said,
so you have been selected to represent GSA,
you would be on the staff representing GSA?
I went down and I was
interviewed by the Federal Executive Board,
along with the other ladies from the various agencies.
We had representatives from the Internal Revenue Service,
Department of Federal Aviation Administration,
Veterans Administration.
And so we were
all interviewed by the Federal Executive Board.
And it was the same day they call.
The same morning they called me and I go and I had
to go and talk to my boss and his boss.
Then at 11:00 I had to go down to
Petri Baker Building, Petri Baker,
and to be interviewed by the Federal Executive Board
for this position with the Federal Information Center.
So I went down for the interview and I was hired,
and that's where I retired from
the Federal Information Center and I
wind up becoming the manager of the FIC.
That's amazing, absolutely amazing.
So did you keep up with Loni all these years?
Well, well, Loni, Lana was working
at Atlanta because he he has
admitted to me he said Sara, he said,
I used to call your office all the time He said,
when we tried to trap you
because you never knew what they were going to ask you.
The only thing you knew about your job,
you knew you were located at 275 Peach Street Street.
But once you answered the phone and you said,
good morning to Federal Information Center,
it was wide open because you never
knew what they were going to ask you.
But it was our responsibility to have the answer.
We were required to read the Federal Register,
the congressional record, the presidential compilation.
I think I read about eight or ten different newspapers.
To stay abreast as to what was going on,
we had to know everything that was
going on in the federal government.
So, when you call, you said,
I have this problem, can you help me?
We had to know where to refer
You not only did we answer calls,
there were walk ins and also correspondence.
But Loni I said he admitted to me,
he said, we tried our best to stop
you but I didn't know La.
Called because he never identified
himself. He told me later on.
So I like Verna were all classmates?
Yeah, he went one way.
I mean, La.
Went another direction. That was so
I'd been in Atlanta all of my life.
I haven't been outside of Atlanta.
So, before we end,
I wanted you to hold up
the photo and talk to me a little if you could,
because your face so beautiful.
Oh, but so determined.
I mean, the look in your eyes is just like,
I'm doing this. Raise it up.
Okay. I was marching
around riches at this time when this was taken.
And this is, I think my girlfriend,
my coworker had just been
arrested prior to as I was going around, riches.
And I couldn't say anything,
I couldn't say anything to her,
could not say anything to anybody else.
I just had to continue to walk.
And not only that, there were
two black professionals that had also
crossed my line and went into
riches to make a purchase. And I knew who they were.
And so I told them when I got back where they were today.
As I share this in a shared this experience with you,
the whole scene is just coming, coming back.
Coming back back, angry, yeah.
Saw them walk in.
Mm hm. Mm hm. Yeah.
So that's determination and
anger and not going to let anybody deter you, right?
That's an amazing, amazing
photo and that's when you were in Atlanta,
Atlanta, Lenton Maurice Penton, he did this.
It was a photographer. Hm. That was
another group picture. I don't know where it is.
The other ladies that were,
that also participated and of course they are deceased.
But there was a beautiful group picture of us
that is that located in an archive.
Some of his work but I don't know.
I have not seen that some of his work.
That photo. You're not sure? Because I would
I would love to have a copy of that.
Okay. Okay. Well, I have a
tomorrow what I can leave with you. Oh.
M because I'd also like to try to find the group photo.
Okay. Okay.
Would Atlanta life have archives?
No. I don't know. I think his wife is still living.
Yes, She and I would see if
it Lucy has any if I could get a copy of it.
I one of the
latest but the ones
that were on the picture with me, they are deceased.
And I know some of the siblings,
I'll see if they have conference,
but that would be really, Mm hm.
To acknowledge their contribution
because they're not here to talk about it.
Exactly.
You know, thank you so much.
You're welcome. You're welcome.
And I hope you're going to edit that to
take out the little little things and what that.
And I also would love to come and just sit and talk
with you over coffee anywhere you want to go, okay?
Okay. What you want.
Anything else that you want us to
know that maybe I didn't ask
the right questions or things
that you think are important, okay?
For students who watch this and who are learning,
okay, from your story, remember, okay?
And to know, because this is going to eventually end
up as part of
history lessons that we're pushing to students all over
the country so that they can learn what really happened.
Because this is not in any of the history.
Okay. No, it is not.
Not. Yeah. And that was
another organization that was very,
very much involved, but you probably picked it up from
some of the other latest they probably told you about.
There was, in addition to
Atlanta life they had in Atlanta at that time,
the Atlanta Negro Voters League.
They were very much involved in all of that.
No, I haven't, no one has talked about that yet.
But that particular league
was membership comprised of ministers,
lawyers, doctors, and I heard you talk about
our ex pastor, Dr. voters.
There was a lot of information you're
flowing from, from that, okay.
But anyways, I will see if I can find the group picture.
But in the meantime, I don't know
whether Lucy has what Maurice did,
all of his pictures. La might know.
But I will call him because he wants
he wants me to call him when I'm done to do
a debrief with him. I don't know how it went.
And I'll ask him because I know
he's in touch with Mrs. Pennington.
They're trying to figure out what to do with some of
Maurice's editorial cartoons that
Clark Atlanta doesn't have out.
Okay. We want to make sure they're viewed.
Okay. Okay.
And so I'll ask him all right. For sure.
Okay. It was soon. Okay. I'm so sorry. It so won.
No problem. No problem. No problem.