Charlotte Clark Frieson is no stranger to controversy, and has very strong ties, to the work, illustrious history and the vital work of the NAACP.
Ms. Clark-Frieson is the Past President of the Randolph County, Alabama Branch #5053 NAACP, who inherited a love, reverence and deep respect for this organization from her father, the late Wilkie Clark — another of the NAACP’s Alabama heroes from yesteryear.
Her father, Wilkie Clark served this organization for approximately 40 years, and in his 30th year of service, was also the recipient of a national NAACP Award for distinguished service.
When her father died in 1989, she believed his work in the community to have been so vital that she penned his biography, entitled “Chief Cook & Bottle-Washer, The Unconquerable Soul Of Wilkie Clark”.
She is the proud winner of the NAACP’s Prestigious “Medgar Evers Award” conferred upon her in 1994, by the Southeast Regional Conference of the NAACP, for her work in Randolph County in leading the fight to dethrone one of Randolph County’s most notorious racist high school principals, Mr. Hulond Humphries, who in the Spring of 1994, threatened to cancel Randolph County High School’s Jr-Sr Prom if interracial couples attended. When challenged by the Junior Class President, Revonda Bowen, a bi-racial student, Humphries called her “a mistake,” sparking a national controversy. There are numerous articles and website postings memoralizing this tumultuous battle with the Randolph County Board of Education, which lasted for a number of years, and resulted in the filing of Federal Court Action by the United States Justice Department…
At the time this controversy arose, she was serving as an elected member of the Randolph County Board of Education, a position which she held for 18 consecutive years (1988 – 2006).
As a result of her Civil Rights involvement, she has been in the news more than a few times in her life.
She recalls:
“My earliest recollections of being in the news was when I was in elementary school, and I happened to be walking outside my parents home, and found a rock that was shaped just like the state of Alabama. I fondly recall being written about in our hometown newspaper, which was then called The Roanoke Leader. I also remember the rock being shown in the article, but not me…After all, I was a little black girl…And who — at that time — was interested in seeing a little black girl’s face in the local newspaper?
Much of the media’s love affair with her was due to my role in a racial controversy that arose in 1994 while I was serving as an elected member of the school board in my county. One of the best kept secrets however, is that the controversy really didn’t just pop up in 1994. It is just that a lot of folk didn’t know about it until then. In reality, it was a 26-year old wound that had been festering all those years, and finally, the straw that broke the camel’s back opened the floodgates.
What follows are several articles that chronicle some of that period. However, the half has not really been told. The articles that follow, are just a tip of the iceberg. Volumes that have been written about this issue, and if you look hard enough, you could probably find many or most of them.
Here are some Links Memorializing that Controversy
April 6, 1994 Boycott in Alabama Protests Return of Principal
April 13, 1994 This article appeared in Education Week, Reinstatement of Alabama Principal in Prom Flap Ignites Boycott
May 25, 1994 Justice Dept. Seeks To Oust Ala. Principal
January 11, 1995 Article appeared in The New York Times regarding Humphries being barred by Federal Courts from all the schools in Randolph County.
May 18, 1995 Article that appeared in Rolling Stone Magazine Wedowee: When an Alabama Principal Said “NO” To Interracial Dating, A Small Community Was Forced To Confront Its Racist Heritage
July 2, 1997 Article appeared in CNN Interactive, regarding the high school controversy during my tenure as a member of the Randolph County Board of Education.
July 7, 1997 Radio Interview with DEMOCRACY NOW about Humphries election to position of Superintendent of Randolph County Schools http://charlotteclarkfrieson.com/about/civil-rights-activism/alabama-principal/
January 18, 2008: We were recently featured in a news article in The New York Times The article addresses our publication’s endorsement of Barack Obama
March 8, 2008: I was the guest speaker for the Alabama Now International Women’s Day Celebration Click this link to visit recap of the day
Today, she is involved with the media in quite a different way and for very different reasons. A part of that has to do with the aim of educating African Americans about the many issues that adversely impact them.