January’s wild weather postponed our Martin Luther King Day celebration a bit, but good things are worth waiting for, right?
Last week, members of the Senior Center celebrated the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. with song, poetry and recollections. A standout feature was the performance of a short play called “The Lieutenant’s Bus Ride” by Al Rosteig. Bravo to Al, Spencer and Elio (above, R-L) for their great portrayal of a moment in history very few of us knew about. We’ve reprinted the text below for your enjoyment.
The Lieutenant’s Busride
Submitted by Al Rosteing. A dramatic interpretation of an event which took place on July 6, 1944.
Did you know that several years before Rosa Parks refused to go to the back of the bus, there was another Black individual who refused to give up a front seat. This is based on a true history event: it involves a white United States Army Private and a Black United States Army Lieutenant.
(Lieutenant Boards bus, takes a seat directly in back fo the driver.)
Lieutenant: Good morning, Driver.
Driver (barely intelligible): G’ morning.
Several minutes pass….
Lieutenant: Will we be moving soon, Driver?
Driver: We won’t be moving at all.
Lieutenant (innocently): Whaddou mean?
Driver: We ain’t movin’ till you go to the back of the bus where you belong.
Lieutenant: But, Driver, the bus is empty. I’m your only passenger.
Driver: Army regulations say you gotta go to the back of the bus, boy. Don’t matter how many passengers.
Lieutenant: Driver, as a Lieutenant, I order you to get this bus movin’.
Driver: This bus ain’t movin’, boy. Here comes an MP. You can tell him what you gotta tell him.
Military Policeman boards bus.
MP: Is there a problem here gentlemen? Why ain’t this bus movin’?
Driver: This boy here won’t go to the back of the bus like he’s ‘sposed to.
Lieutenant: The bus is empty!
MP: You know the rules, Lieutenant. Black soldiers ride in the back of the bus at all times. You gonna move? Last chance.
Lieutenant (voice rising slightly) Hell, no. The bus is empty. The rules are stupid.
MP: Sorry Lieutenant. Under the circumstances I find it necessary to place you under arrest. Sorry, but I hafta cuffa ya.
The handcuffed Lieutenant is taken to the Army Base Brig, where he is formally charged with violating U.S. Army regulations. He is released on his own recognizance pending Court Martial, where the charges are subsequently dismissed. Several years later (after an honorable discharged) Jack Roosevelt Robinson, known as Jackie, becomes the first African American to play in Major League Baseball. He is voted the 1947 Rookie of the Year and after a distinguished career becomes a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1948 President Truman orders the desegregation of the US Armed Forces.
