Scene 9
Scene 9
Narrator: Esau decided in order for his voice to be heard, he needed to become a member of the schoolboard. In 1956, he did just that.
Esau: I want to run for a position on the schoolboard. I want the Negroes to know that it is their priviledge to go into any office that they are qualified to handle. They are taxpayers and they have just as much right to run for public office as the white person.
Person #1: But Esau, if a negroe's name was to be placed on a voting machine, they would be killed.
Esau: One of my reasons for wanting to run is to prove that that will not happen.
Narrator: Esau ran for the schoolboard where his name was placed in alphabetical order along with the other people running. When one man would go in and see Esau's name, he would go out and tell the rest where to look.
Person #2: Hey, Esau's name if on that voting machine. You need to get up there and vote.
Narrator: That year, Esau Jenkins became the first black man to serve on the schoolboard of Charleston County. That same year, about 99% of Negroes on the islands had registered to vote.
