“Just in part, Cassie, I wanted to ask about him. I wanted to know how you’re dealing with your loss. I know it’s a difficult time.”
“I’m managing.”
“But you don’t know where you’re going.” I was silent. “Robert told me that on your way to Toledo, you spent time in Colorado. Said you had even enrolled in some summer courses and had a part-time job for a while. How’d you like it?”
“It was all right. I loved the mountains.”
“What kind of courses were you taking?”
“Political science,” I answered, now wondering about his interest. “But why are you asking me about them?”
“I assume you did well in those courses. Did you like them?”
“Yes, I did, but—”
“So, why didn’t you stay in Colorado? Not many colored folks there, but it’s beautiful country, so I hear. A job. Coursework you like. Was there a possibility you could have stayed there?”
“There was . . . at first.”
“But you didn’t stay. You plan on going back?”
“I don’t think so. There’s no reason to go back. My family’s here.”
“And what do you plan on doing here?”
“I don’t know yet.”
“So, you’re drifting.” I stared at Lawyer Tate, then looked away without answering. He allowed the silence before he spoke again. “I know you’re probably thinking the kind of questions I’m asking are none of my business, but if you’ll bear with me, I’ll explain my interest. Now, Robert told me that you ran into a bit of a legal problem while you were in Colorado and that is one of the reasons you left—”
“He told you that? He shouldn’t have—”
The attorney held up his hand in defense of Stacey. “Please. All he said was one of the reasons you left was because of a legal matter that should have been resolved in your favor but wasn’t, and that you figured it could have been racial.”
I looked at him cautiously. “That’s all he told you?”
Lawyer Tate nodded. “If it’s extremely personal, Cassie, and you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t question you further.”
“You can’t do anything about it.”
“Don’t plan to. I’ve got enough cases on my desk. I just thought you might want to talk about it to another colored person who has a legal background.”
I wasn’t clear what Mr. Tate’s interest was in my story, but I told him what had happened. “In the end, there seemed to be nothing I could do. The medical center is a private professional corporation and I’m told they can choose to treat or not treat anyone they choose.”
“And how did that make you feel?”
“How do you think it made me feel?” I retorted, my anger rising again at the thought of how I had been banned. “I paid my bill. I was told I needed to see the doctor again, then they wouldn’t see me, and on top of that, they refused to give me a reason. It was just because they said so.”
“And you’ve heard that all your life, right? From places in Mississippi, all throughout the South.”
“All throughout these United States.”
Lawyer Tate crossed his long legs, pulled off his glasses, and rubbed his eyes before putting the glasses on again. For several moments he seemed deep in thought. I remained quiet, waiting for him to speak. “Cassie, several years ago at that movie theater downtown I was quite impressed by the way you took a stand. It was risky and it was foolish, but you took a stand.”
“Didn’t get me anywhere.”
“No . . .” he agreed. “Not then. But like I told you, things are going to change. With all our boys being back from the war and more opportunities opening up, there can be big, big changes coming, some on the legal front.”
“Like what? I mean, really, Mr. Tate, it’s nineteen fifty-one and what’s changed since Clayton and Christopher-John got back? Down south we still can’t drink from a water fountain unless it’s marked ‘colored,’ and most times those fountains are rusted and dirty and run-offs from the ‘white’ fountains. We still have to go to back doors at restaurants to get served, and we still can’t try on clothes when we go shopping in the department stores. We go to separate schools and on and on, and—well, I don’t need to tell you. You know how it is. And here in Toledo and all across this place, it’s just as bad sometimes. My brothers told me when Nat King Cole came not too long ago, it was a real mess when colored folks were still expected to sit in the balcony to hear him sing, while the white folks sat downstairs. Maybe theaters around here might be opening up some with their seating, but other places aren’t. Some hospitals right here in Toledo are even segregated. So, you tell me, what change is going to come?”
“Changes we need to fight for, Cassie. Changes in our school system. Changes in race laws all across this land. Changes that could affect your being banned from treatment at that medical center in Colorado.”
“So, why are we talking about all this right now? It’s not like we’re at an NAACP meeting.”
Lawyer Tate smiled. “No, we’re not. But the reason we’re talking about it, Cassie, is because I believe you can be part of the change that’s coming. I believe you can help make that change. You’ve got a degree in education but you said you didn’t know what you wanted to do yet. How about the law?”
“What?”
“Certainly being a lawyer isn’t a new idea to you. You yourself told me how your white friend in Mississippi—a Mr. Jamison, as I recall—had affected your life and the lives of the people in your community. We discussed the possibility once before. You’ve got the head for it. You’ve got the fire for it, and if you want it enough, I can help you get started toward it. I know a number of well-placed people in some very excellent law schools, and I believe if you applied, you would be accepted.”
“Really? But, Lawyer Tate, I’m twenty-seven years old. Don’t most law students start right after college?”
“Your age, that bothers you? Listen, Cassie, I know plenty of lawyers who got their degrees later than that. Even if you haven’t made a decision about your next step in life, it won’t hurt to fill out the applications, to apply to these schools, to see what they offer and then make your decision. You have the time. You have nothing to lose. Think on it, Cassie. Doors are opening, and one of those doors could be yours.”
* * *
◆ ◆ ◆
In the weeks that followed, I decided to take Lawyer Tate’s advice. I applied to the handful of black law schools in the country, the most prestigious and oldest being Howard University School of Law. Lawyer Tate had graduated from Howard. I also applied to northern schools that had graduated black lawyers. Mr. Tate wrote recommendations for me. Community leaders did as well, including the Roman brothers. Mr. Tate suggested I request recommendations from Dr. Skurnik and Brad Buchanan. He said it would look good on my applications to receive recommendations from outside Ohio. I did as he suggested, and both Dr. Skurnik and Brad Buchanan complied. They sent letters to the schools and copies of their letters to me. They were very complimentary.