Embracing Change

     A story to commemorate the 45th Anniversary of one of Indiana's most notorious murder cases scratched open a wound for the town where it all unfolded.

     It's no secret Martinsville, Indiana has been fighting a stigma of intolerance for decades.  For African Americans and people of color, the 1968 murder of Carol Jenkins on the streets of Martinsville has long been associated with the town's reputation.  (Although there have been other noted incidents since then)  

     Martinsville is also the gateway to one of the world's premiere higher institutions of learning, Indiana University.   It was there, at I-U, on the 45th anniversary that randomly chosen students shared their perceptions about the town just 30-minutes north of campus.  What they said sparked fury.   The students said they had been warned that Martinsville was not a welcoming place for people of color and that they should stay away.  Most didn't push the issue, but accepted the warning as words of wisdom.

      The Mayor of Martinsville acknowledged students at Indiana University were being warned, and took issue what he described as "rumors" about the town serving as headquarters for the Ku Klux Klan.

He was right to voice concern, as history does not support that claim.  It is true that the Klan marched in Martinsville and many other rural communities in the 60's.  The Mayor also acknowledged a "task force" if you will, of residents working on changing the image of the town and getting the word out about special exhibits focused on diversity.

      An I.U. professor in African American studies also talked about the need for Martinsville and the university to work together to erase some of the perceptions.   In his opinion it would be good for both communities and help with recruiting faculty and students.  

      Martinsville residents went on the attack.  Most saw no point in bringing up the 45-year anniversary, and saw it as nothing but big city media stirring the pot for ratings or website views.

Part of the consternation centers on the arrest of Kenneth Richmond, of Indianapolis, who was charged with Jenkins' murder in 2002.   Martinsville residents question how their town bares responsibility for someone who came in from the outside to commit an evil act.  It's a reasonable question.  If that was the only factor, it would make sense that Martinsville's reputation would be repaired instantaneous.

The problem is much more complex.  

        For 33-years the murder of Carol Jenkins went unsolved.  Jenkins' family and the NAACP questioned the handling of the investigation almost from the beginning.  Blunders revealed decades later, show the case suffered from missing records, sloppy record keeping and a failure to uphold basic investigative standards like confirming reports of a suspect's death.    Even the caucasian woman who eventually implicated her father Kenneth Richmond, in the crime said she called police to give information years earlier, and no one followed up.   Richmond's arrest came after decades of mistrust and after several Martinsville residents reportedly bragged openly about being involved in the killing.

Unfortunately the name of the alleged accomplice in the case is unknown.  It is very possible that person resides in or near Martinsville.  Someone knows, and could bring this case to a conclusion.

        Another resounding question:  "Racism is everywhere, why limit the discussion to Martinsville?  Why not talk about other communities or even Indianapolis?"  The answer is simple.  It was the 45th anniversary of a case that as the Mayor of Martinsville said, "had an impact on the town."   Absolutely, racism exists everywhere, and it goes both ways.  The Carol Jenkins murder case is a historical marker. It made people take notice.  There's something about stories like the Birmingham church bombing, the Emmitt Till case and yes, to a lesser degree the Carol Jenkins murder mystery that does something to our collective conscious.   It makes us ask tough questions about who we are as a people, when four black girls die from a bombing at church,  or a 21-year old black woman dies on the streets of a small town, where she stopped to sell encyclopedias.  

        Here we are now 45-years later.  No one can change what has happened, but those of us here can work towards embracing change for the future.  It doesn't mean forgetting the past, but requires learning from our mistakes.   It means exchanging a defensive response, with one of compassion and acknowledging the gaps that separate.   There's no place for name-calling and misplaced rage.  On the contrary, we must collectively find a way to channel our deepest frustrations and hurts, into open dialogue and more importantly communities that say:  "We can't do it alone, we need you and you need us."  45-years later.  It's time. 

     

Remembering Carol Jenkins -- 45 Years Later..

     This year has been marked with milestone anniversaries including the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the 50th Commemoration of the church bombing in Birmingham, Alabama.
     So many years have passed, some change has come, yet no one denies there is still much to do.
Unfortunately, change doesn't come with a simple pronouncement, especially when it comes to deep seated issues of the heart.   During the Birmingham ceremony our nation's first African American Attorney General summarized it by saying "In reality hate never leaves us..."  but is a force that must be "confronted and defeated."  
     Five years after the four girls died in the church bombing on September 15, 1963, it was clear, hatred was not gone.  On September 16, 1968 in Martinsville, Indiana, another act of hatred, this time directed at a 21-year old black encyclopedia saleswoman named Carol Jenkins.  An innocent girl, barely into adulthood, brutally stabbed on a sidewalk simply because of the color of her skin.
     For three decades the pursuit of justice went nowhere, until a television news report caught the attention of a woman who had heard an eerily similar story, and put two and two together.   She realized her best friend had witnessed Carol's murder.   The friend was just 7-years old at the time and was riding in the back seat of her father's car when she saw the "pretty black lady" attacked.
That daughter lived with the horrible secret for years, until her confidant decided to not only urge her to tell, but took the extraordinary step of writing an anonymous letter to the authorities.
     Within weeks of the news report that sparked that decision, investigators had new evidence in the case.   At the same time, the daughter took an unbelievable step on her own.   She called the news reporter looking into the investigation and left this chilling message, "If the girl had a yellow scarf and was killed with a screwdriver...my father could be the killer."
     The explosive break in the case finally brought the family of Carol Jenkins many of the answers they had longed for and for the first time, an arrest in the case.  The town of Martinsville also believed it had been vindicated since the suspect was not a resident.
      Yet on this 45th anniversary of Carol Jenkins' death, college students at Indiana University, one of Indiana's most prestigious institutions of higher learning, still warn against venturing into the town of Martinsville, some 30-minutes away.  Town residents think its unfair, and that they're inaccurately portrayed.  For years they had wished it would all just go away.
       The truth is Martinsville will always be connected to Carol Jenkins.
On this day of remembrance, the team at the "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf" hopes the dialogue will continue in Martinsville to remake its image giving honor to the young life that was lost.   It's also a good time to encourage those sitting on information related to the second suspect in Carol's case or with information about any other crime to do the right hing and find a way to reveal truth.
    
    
    

"In Motion"

     It's been quite the summer.  Race relations have been more of a sizzle than the heat.  The "Not Guilty" verdicts in the Trayvon Martin case sparked debates over equality within the judicial system.   It didn't take long before Trayvon Martin's name was linked with Emmitt Till, the young black teenager brutally beaten and killed in the 1960's for looking, and some say whistling, at a white woman.
     Now weeks later we have "Lee Daniels' The Butler" drawing in crowds to see the story of a black butler who served 21-years in the White House, including one of the most explosive times for civil rights.
     The movie offers an intriguing viewpoint into the Civil Rights struggle through not only the eyes of a butler, but young people coming of age, who would become the leaders of the next decade.  Wow!  It became evident that people of color throughout the United States clearly understood the inequality but how they chose to deal with it brought internal conflict, especially for those living in the north.
     It made me wonder about those living in midwestern states like Indiana.  It made me wonder what a young (21-year old) Carol Jenkins was thinking the moment she branched off to sell encyclopedias  alone in Martinsville in 1968.   Perhaps she, like many of the young people who protested during that era, looked fear in the face and still decided to take a stand for their own rights.   Perhaps.
     If we're honest, we can probably look back at history and see new generations trying to right the course of equality in America.   This concept has emerged throughout the summer and reminds me of a quote from neurologist James H. Austin that says "Chance favors those in motion."
     Bottom line...those who fought to change civil rights back then took a stand.  Today we must all ask ourselves what needs to change, and what are we willing to take a stand for?
     

A Bright Spot

     The room sparkled.   The setting-sun added a warm glow over the dining room table, surrounded by women of color, women of all hues, adorned in yellow and white.   Copies of "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf" were sprinkled across the table top, along with wine glasses and yellow rosebuds taking in refreshment from clear glass vases.

      The conversation was rich and intellectual about the young woman, a former child witness, who had survived decades of agony to finally tell what happened to Carol Jenkins back in 1968.    

       But what was most astonishing were the stories and warnings these women had received over the years about the Jenkins case and more importantly the town where it happened.   Martinsville.

Many of these professional and educated women relocated to the Indianapolis area in the mid 1990's or early 2000.   Yet they were welcomed with a similar speech I received when I came to town 20-years ago.   It goes something like this, "Don't go to Martinsville alone and never after dark," or "If you're going to Bloomington, don't stop in Martinsville!"

       It dawned on me just how much work still remains for the City leaders of Martinsville.    Some residents simply thought the arrest of Kenneth Richmond for the crime would absolve the town of its racist reputation.   Here we are 10-years later, and it appears the stain of that rainy September night is just as evident.   Perhaps like any bad stain, it's a little faded, but very much entwined in the perceived fabric of that community.

       Perhaps its the same phenomenon that has taken Paula Deen captive.   It may have something to do with comfort.   Specifically, someone feeling comfortable enough to say or act egregiously in the presence of a group, believing that group is tolerant or accepting of that behavior.   It is in those places where character is exposed. 

       Kenneth Richmond yelled racial slurs at Carol Jenkins before he attacked.  The only ears that were disturbed by his obnoxious outcry were those of his own little girl, riding in the back seat.   For his unknown co-conspirator, it was nothing more than a signal of the evil to come.  They spoke the same language and in that instant took comfort in their shared hatred and deviant behavior.

        Moving forward, we must all give pause to our comfort zones and the messages we relay.  Is it something we will later have to live down?

       I'm  inspired by the women who shared their perspective on "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf."  There was a bright spot in Indy that night, as these women of various backgrounds and brown hues, elevated a discussion about compassion, justice and race.  A crystal clear message about growth and change, that carried no shame.

       

       

      

       

      

The Arrests

It was on this day 11-years ago the call came.."Get to Martinsville right away, there's an arrest in the Carol Jenkins Murder Case!" Kenneth Clay Richmond was charged after 33-years of tears and frustration. Carol's family would learn Richmond's own daughter lived with the secret.

That day, Carol Jenkins' family walked into court to face the man accused of the brutal killing of their daughter.  It's an image permanently etched in my mind.  There aren't words to adequately describe the atmosphere that day as tears streamed down Carol's father's face.  

I'm reminded of that emotion with the developments in Cleveland, where three missing girls were found after 10-years in captivity.  In both cases the families have endured incredible emotional suffering, waiting to find out what happened to their loved one.   The not knowing and quest for answers year after year after year.

It is a miracle that the three women survived.  They have a long road ahead of them.  But today their families can set aside at least one burden.  They now know something.   For any parent, that's important.  It doesn't explain the whys or take away the grieving over what has happened, but at least they can rest in getting truth.   

Today as Carol's family walks through this day, my hope is there is some peace in knowing at least one of the men involved in their daughter's case admitted to police his involvement.

Honoring The Girl in the Yellow Scarf

     Carol Marie Jenkins would have turned 66-years old this month.  Unfortunately the year she officially became an adult, she became a murder victim.  

     It's hard to imagine what Carol's life would be like today if she had been allowed to choose a career  and/or marriage.  Where would she have settled down, how would she have impacted her community, and if she had lived, what would she want for the next generation?   Unfortunately, we'll never know the answers to those questions.  But in the 21-years that Carol lived we do know she loved people, she desired to achieve more than the status quo of her day, and she was willing to venture out to seek change.  And because of that I believe Carol would be thrilled to see girls dreaming big dreams  and rising up as women to take on leadership roles unlike anything imaginable in the '60's.    I believe she would applaud a cooperating spirit, helping to bridge gaps between those who are different.  And I believe she would find satisfaction knowing a single voice can speak truth to the world and bring healing.

    Happy Birthday to "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf"

New Beginnings

     This is the time of year to celebrate new beginnings.   Christians around the world share the message of the cross and the birth of a new covenant through the death, burial and  resurrection of Jesus Christ.
It's a triumphant time, one that brings the hope of eternal salvation, a new life and purpose for those who believe.   In other words a fresh start, and the promise of daily renewal along the way.   It's a gift.
 
       There's no better time to celebrate rebirth, than the spring, when the temperature gradually warms and winter's last grip slips away.  The burst of color that magically takes over our dormant landscape is a welcomed sight.   You can feel the energy in the breeze and in the smiles of those soaking up its beauty.   It's a yearly revival that reminds us of the cycle of life, and ushers in an excitement that comes with a budding season.

      It's been almost a year since the release of  "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf."   Yet this title is still expanding its platform.  In the first three months of 2013 our focus has naturally evolved to include the hope of rebuilding lives.   In February, our spotlight on black history month took us to the Pike Township Public Library for a "meet and greet."  There we talked with students, professionals, moms and dads who all took a moment to interrupt their evening for a chance to share their own goals, concerns and dreams.   And yes we answered questions about the murder mystery they had heard about from decades past.   It was there that I met a 7-year old little girl who's sweet innocence made me appreciate all the more, Shirley McQueen, the main character in "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf."    McQueen's father took her out one night and it changed her life forever, but not for her good.
At the Pike Township library, it was an inspiring scene.  A little girl out with her Daddy, who was helping her to seek knowledge and build self-esteem through education.  How refreshing!

     National Women's Day in early March, allowed us to focus along with millions of others around the world, to reflect on the accomplishments of our sisters and to discuss solutions to their on-going challenges.   Domestic violence is one of those areas.   "The Girl in the Yellow Scarf" tackles the subject within it's pages; documenting the mistreatment of women by the only suspect charged in the racial killing of Carol Jenkins.   That's what prompted me to accept an invitation to join advocates across the city of Indianapolis in their work to strengthen outreach programs for women seeking help.   "Hope and All that Jazz" sponsored by the Beacon of Hope Womens' Center raised thousands of dollars to provide counseling and shelter.  It was my distinct honor to be a part of their efforts.  The grateful tears of a brave woman, now living a new existence free from violence, is a treasured memory from that night, and clearly one more reason to celebrate!