Dr. Randy Whetstone, Jr. • Photos by Matt Johnson
In the United States, one of the challenges in the Black community is tracing its family genealogy back to its original roots. For many U.S. born citizens, a small percentage could tell you the country their bloodline originated in or how many generations they can go back to and give a name of an ancestor. As a result, for the 13.7% that make up the Black population (U.S. Census Bureau) in this country, the question still lingers about how many of them still struggle with a true sense of identity as they search to find their genesis.
This quest certainly piqued the interest of a young teenage girl who wanted to trace her lineage back to slavery. At 13 years old, Charlene Hampton Holloway went to Atlanta, GA with her grandmother to partake in the Civil Rights marches. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stood at the helm leading and navigating through turbulent times in the nation’s history, helping many African Americans fight for their freedom and march towards their destiny. Standing from afar was Holloway witnessing King lead a group of marchers in front of a department store.
As Dr. King led marches primarily in the south, if he ever came to Kentucky, Charlene wanted to partake. Holloway’s passion and determination lit a flame under her feet. She brought her convictions to life as she walked and carried out her purpose. She joined the NAACP and Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and even recruited her brother in high school to join the marches.
“I knew in 1960 in Atlanta, GA seeing the ‘Colored Waiting Area Only’ signs in the train station just like our own that I made up my mind to ask both of my parents (that) if Dr. King would ever come to Louisville, KY to please allow me to join the peaceful marches I saw of Black people in that city. I realized segregation was across our entire nation,” Holloway says.
In April 1961, Holloway was 13 years old, and her brother was 16 years old. Both were arrested in downtown Louisville while marching. She recalls what she felt at that moment.
“I felt obligated to the community-at-large to step out on faith and hope that I would not be harmed in any way during our beginning 1961 peaceful Civil Rights marches. I thought about other people’s children, parents, grandparents and even great-grandparents who would appreciate Black people having equal rights.
I also thought about how my own maternal grandfather handed me my own ‘Whitlock Family’ lineage of slavery in the 1800’s here in Kentucky. I felt that by marching at a young age it would benefit respect for Black people in general when the general public of White people would see us marching peacefully and that one-day Black people would be given respect as first-class citizens.”
Being arrested didn’t stop her. Three years later, Dr. King eventually made his way to Frankfort, KY and about 10,000 people, including Holloway, marched to the Capitol. Years later, she says it’s imperative she stays “focused” on the life and legacy of Dr. King and his encouragement to children and adults.
Since then, Holloway has become a Civil Rights Activist, public speaker, and author. She penned the work entitled: Whitlock’sCompositions: A Biographical and Pictorial Story of How Charles D. Whitlock, Owner of Whitlock’s Florist, Attempted to Compose the Lives of His Two Daughters, a biography chronicling the lives of three African American women’s pursuit to their educational and career goals during the Great Depression and Civil Rights era. Her work depicts the story that represents many African Americans in the nation today, and she still marches towards her destiny to this day as a retired registered nurse (RN) and college student.
“In my life’s work and experiences in teaching patients how to care for themselves as well as speaking to children and adults whether in elementary, middle, high schools or colleges, I always encourage them to read books on the history of other Black authors and write book reports and encourage others to do the same. I encourage children and adults to study, attend school when not ill, complete all assignments on time and don’t compare themselves to others who may have not attained as many degrees as they have but applaud their efforts for graduating with degrees in their own chosen majors. After enteringSimmons College of Kentucky (HBCU) in the fall of 2022 and excelling taking 15 hours at age 75, I am excited to have been admitted to the University of Louisville to obtain a bachelor’s degree in Organizational Leadership. (This has) always been on my ‘bucket list’. My three adult children, my husband of 57 years, my six grandchildren, my three great-grandchildren and even another one due in March 2025, will hopefully, one day applaud my efforts and know it’s never too old to learn and return to college.”
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