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14 The GUIDE to YELLOW SPRINGS 2019 – 20 YELLOW SPRINGS NEWS FRESH LISTINGS. SAVVY AGENTS. Jo Dunphy, Broker .................................................937-767-1140 Sheila Dunphy-Pallotta, Broker ..........................937-767-2100 Teresa Dunphy, Rentals & Property Mgr/Broker......937-767-1140 Yellow Springs’ only LOCALLY OWNED AND OPERATED Real Estate Brokerage Since 1960 937-767-1140 DunphyRealEstate.com 251 Xenia Avenue,Yellow Springs, OH Throughout the village’s history, white and black residents have often worked together to promote racial equality and protest racial injustice, from Antioch College’s role as one of the first colleges to offer African Americans equal educational opportunities to, in recent years, a steadfast group of locals seeking justice for John Crawford, a black man killed in a Beavercreek Walmart by police. Kevin McGruder, a board member of The 365 Project, said he learned from listening to oral histories for the group’s Blacks in YS encyclopedia project that white residents have also encouraged black leadership throughout the years, which may have contributed to Yellow Springs’ impressive history of blacks in leadership positions. “One of the things that has been unusual about Yellow Springs is there was a signifi - cant presence of black people in leadership positions, which you don’t usually see in places that weren’t predominantly black,” said McGruder, an Antioch College history professor. “There were white residents of Yellow Springs that invited them in to be involved. So there was a level of welcome here that probably wasn’t present in most places in the country.” Blacks here have long been leaders in Yellow Springs' civic and educational institutions and businesses. The first black police chief in Ohio served in Yellow Springs from 1960 to 1993, black Council members and school board members were common from the 1940s on and the village elected a black mayor in the late ‘60s and ‘70s, according to “Blacks in Yellow Springs,” a brochure produced by The 365 Project. Blacks also rose to prominent positions at several major local industries. But, McGruder cautioned, “that doesn’t mean that there wasn’t a color line.” He went on to cite the stories of villagers who told him of the numerous downtown businesses in which black residents weren’t welcome as recently as the ’50s and ’60s. “People sometimes overemphasize the racial harmony here,” he added. Continued from page 13 The 365 Project In another example, although local schools were desegregated in 1887–88, the first black teacher was not hired until 1956, and as an Antioch College student in the early 1950s, Coretta Scott King was famously barred from student teaching at the local public school. For Robinson, it was the 1964 protest to desegregate the Gegner barbershop that illuminated for her the dual, conflicting nature of Yellow Springs as both a tolerant and racist community. Robinson’s mother was involved in the picketing of the local barbershop of Lewis Gegner, who refused to cut any black person’s hair. While some white villagers protested and marched with the black community in solidarity, others supported Gegner. The conflict culminated in a March 1964 incident in which 150 police officers descended upon downtown to break up a peaceful protest in front of the barbershop with tear gas and fire hoses. While just 8 years old at the time, Robinson was affected by the event in last - ing ways. “My understanding of Yellow Springs as both a progressive community and a com- munity just like any place else in Southwest Ohio goes back to those moments in my childhood,” she said. Even today, Robinson said, racism “continues in this community in subtle ways.” Coretta Scott King’s famous quote, “Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation,” is instructive when looking at the history of the civil rights movement in Yellow Springs, according to McGruder. In that vein, The 365 Project is the latest effort in a long history of organiza - tions that have promoted African American culture and pushed for equal treatment for black people here. Looking ahead, Gudgel said the group plans to revisit the issue central to its found- ing — the achievement gap in the Yellow Springs schools. They also recently trained 14 people to facilitate “courageous conver- sations” on race around the community. “It creates an environment of trust,” Gudgel said of the format. “You won’t be able to solve racism, but you will be better for it in terms of becoming aware of some of the struggles and issues that pertain to racism.”  ♦ SUBMITTED PHOTO BY KENSY ZELAYA Members of the Young People of Color with leaders from The 365 Project that formed it, at a reception in 2017. From left is Steve McQueen, Malaya Booth, Joaquin Espinosa, Bayden Jordan, Ibi Chappelle, Malcolm Blunt (kneeling), Sulayman Chappelle, Kevin McGruder and John Gudgel.