Conrad L. Raiford
Encyclopedia
Conrad Laurel Raiford was a champion athlete, educator, goodwill ambassador
and one of Greensboro, North Carolina
's first African-American police officers.
areas in the Tarheel state. The officers were not allowed to arrest anyone outside their ethnicity.
"I had to wear rejects," Raiford told his daughter, former television personality Sharon Crews during an interview for ABC News
. "I had to wear pants another officer had been wearing for two years. They were shiny. They didn't fit." Things were not any better in the North and Midwest.
"Officers had to patrol areas with "colored
police" billboarded on their cars," said Elsie Scott, former Executive Director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. "That was to let people know that he could only police black people. Integrating
police departments during and after World War II
was a huge controversy
."
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
, people threatened to riot
when black officers were hired; some even attacked them.
In Detroit, Michigan
, plans to hire black officers were scrapped when the entire city police force threatened to strike
. It was not until the mid-1950s when Atlanta, Georgia
, integrated its police force. Major compromises had to be reached. Black officers were not allowed to wear their uniforms back and forth to work. They had to dress at Atlanta's black YMCA
.
"They even built a second bathroom down in the cold and rat-infested basement of city hall
because we were considered less than human, said Raiford, who was a star athlete with a college degree under his belt. "It took a special man to take that."
Life for America's first black police officers was not easy. For Raiford, the tension and humiliation
became too much to bear. After a five-year tour of duty, Raiford traded his badge for a rundown schoolhouse for black children located in a remote area of Guilford County called Goodwill. A defunct book titled "Hiawatha
, the Warrior," was compulsory reading for all of the first through twelfth graders he taught.
Although Raiford's days of patrolling the streets of Greensboro had come to an end in 1951, his commitment to improving the lives of those disenfranchised by Jim Crow was just beginning.
, (1920 to 1940), the average hourly wage for an African-American man was a single dime. "A man who made a dollar a day was doing well," said Raiford, who earned his salary in the late 1920s playing baseball for semi-pro
teams throughout the South.
In the early 1930s, Raiford (6'3") was recruited to play for the New York Cuban Giants. It was the so-called decade of Negro League baseball, when men such as Satchel Paige
, Josh Gibson
and Buck Leonard
became household names, even in parts of White America.
Raiford became a mentor
to ensuing young athletes, including tennis player Arthur Ashe
, the first African-American male to win a Grand Slam
event. Raiford took the quiet teenager under his wing and schooled him on how to earn respect.
For Raiford, respect was hard to come by, even for a hero in his own hometown. Once as a police officer, Raiford offered to play for the Greensboro Patriots in a benefit game for polio victims. It did not matter that Raiford was a star athlete who played for large crowds; he was turned down flat. "That was the final insult," said Raiford, who never played baseball again.
in Munich
, West Germany
.
In 1977, Greensboro city officials honored Raiford by naming the historic Warnersville Recreation Center swimming pool after him.
In 1937, Raiford became one of Greensboro's first African-American certified lifeguards. A champion swimmer, Raiford instructed youth in aquatic techniques and water safety at the Hayes Taylor Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA).
When the United States
entered World War II
in 1941, Raiford was authorized to aid military personnel and engage in voluntary rescue
missions for the American Red Cross
.
movement of the 1960s by becoming one of Greensboro's two African-American bail bondsmen. Raiford freed then A&T student body president Jesse Jackson
after Jackson's first arrest following a protest march in 1963. Jackson and other activists, like Ezelle Blair and Joseph McNeil, committed to memory Raiford's home phone number.
When a targeted Jackson began facing a higher bail and stiffer sentence, Raiford often got the peaceful protestor out of jail on credit
to continue the South's expanding Freedom Movement.
in Memphis, Tennessee
, on April 4, 1968, the State of North Carolina enforced a strict curfew
that made it illegal for all civilians to leave their homes after 8:00 p.m.
It was on the evening of April 9, 1968, when Raiford dropped off a couple of just-freed A&T students and was returning home when the mandated curfew caught up with him. Raiford, now age 61, said he glanced at his watch, quietly exited his car, sensing something was not right. Raiford said he attempted to continue stealthily on foot, hoping the darkness of a neighborhood park would protect him.
Once he cleared the brush, Raiford said he was ambushed
by four angry police officers who did not care that Raiford was a recognized lawman. Raiford was arrested with force
and arms; he spent the night behind bars, fighting for the rights of others.
"There's no doubt that we had some tension in Greensboro that was uncontrollable," said then Mayor Carson Bain. "This was a dramatic period in our history. This was a turning point in American history."
(A&T), where he lettered in football
, track
, baseball
and swimming
. Raiford graduated in 1936 with a bachelor of science
degree in biology
and was inducted into A&T's Sports Hall of Fame
in 1971.
teacher
Myrtle Mary Frances Wright were married for 54 years. They had four children: Conrad Eugene, Janice Artelia, Sharon Daisy and Lisa Rozenia.
Goodwill Ambassador
Goodwill Ambassador is a collective term sometimes used as a substitute honorific title or a title of honor for an Ambassador of Goodwill; but, most appropriately for a generic recognition, it is a job position or description that is usually indicated following the name of the individual recognized...
and one of Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
's first African-American police officers.
Law enforcement
In 1946, Raiford was one of only six black men recruited by a then all white Greensboro Police Department. Although the tall and muscular man was proud to be a pioneering member of law enforcement, Raiford resented the way he and his fellow black officers were treated in a city that was then one of the more populated incorporatedMunicipal corporation
A municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. Municipal incorporation occurs when such municipalities become self-governing entities under the laws of the state or province in which...
areas in the Tarheel state. The officers were not allowed to arrest anyone outside their ethnicity.
"I had to wear rejects," Raiford told his daughter, former television personality Sharon Crews during an interview for ABC News
ABC News
ABC News is the news gathering and broadcasting division of American broadcast television network ABC, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
. "I had to wear pants another officer had been wearing for two years. They were shiny. They didn't fit." Things were not any better in the North and Midwest.
"Officers had to patrol areas with "colored
Colored
Colored is a term once widely used in the United States to describe black people and Native Americans...
police" billboarded on their cars," said Elsie Scott, former Executive Director of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. "That was to let people know that he could only police black people. Integrating
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
police departments during and after World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was a huge controversy
Controversy
Controversy is a state of prolonged public dispute or debate, usually concerning a matter of opinion. The word was coined from the Latin controversia, as a composite of controversus – "turned in an opposite direction," from contra – "against" – and vertere – to turn, or versus , hence, "to turn...
."
In Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
, people threatened to riot
Riot
A riot is a form of civil disorder characterized often by what is thought of as disorganized groups lashing out in a sudden and intense rash of violence against authority, property or people. While individuals may attempt to lead or control a riot, riots are thought to be typically chaotic and...
when black officers were hired; some even attacked them.
In Detroit, Michigan
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
, plans to hire black officers were scrapped when the entire city police force threatened to strike
Strike action
Strike action, also called labour strike, on strike, greve , or simply strike, is a work stoppage caused by the mass refusal of employees to work. A strike usually takes place in response to employee grievances. Strikes became important during the industrial revolution, when mass labour became...
. It was not until the mid-1950s when Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, integrated its police force. Major compromises had to be reached. Black officers were not allowed to wear their uniforms back and forth to work. They had to dress at Atlanta's black YMCA
YMCA
The Young Men's Christian Association is a worldwide organization of more than 45 million members from 125 national federations affiliated through the World Alliance of YMCAs...
.
"They even built a second bathroom down in the cold and rat-infested basement of city hall
City hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall or a municipal building or civic centre, is the chief administrative building of a city...
because we were considered less than human, said Raiford, who was a star athlete with a college degree under his belt. "It took a special man to take that."
Life for America's first black police officers was not easy. For Raiford, the tension and humiliation
Humiliation
Humiliation is the abasement of pride, which creates mortification or leads to a state of being humbled or reduced to lowliness or submission. It can be brought about through bullying, intimidation, physical or mental mistreatment or trickery, or by embarrassment if a person is revealed to have...
became too much to bear. After a five-year tour of duty, Raiford traded his badge for a rundown schoolhouse for black children located in a remote area of Guilford County called Goodwill. A defunct book titled "Hiawatha
Hiawatha
Hiawatha was a legendary Native American leader and founder of the Iroquois confederacy...
, the Warrior," was compulsory reading for all of the first through twelfth graders he taught.
Although Raiford's days of patrolling the streets of Greensboro had come to an end in 1951, his commitment to improving the lives of those disenfranchised by Jim Crow was just beginning.
Negro League Baseball
During the heart of the Great DepressionGreat Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, (1920 to 1940), the average hourly wage for an African-American man was a single dime. "A man who made a dollar a day was doing well," said Raiford, who earned his salary in the late 1920s playing baseball for semi-pro
Semi-professional
A semi-professional athlete is one who is paid to play and thus is not an amateur, but for whom sport is not a full-time occupation, generally because the level of pay is too low to make a reasonable living based solely upon that source, thus making the athlete not a full professional...
teams throughout the South.
In the early 1930s, Raiford (6'3") was recruited to play for the New York Cuban Giants. It was the so-called decade of Negro League baseball, when men such as Satchel Paige
Satchel Paige
Leroy Robert "Satchel" Paige was an American baseball player whose pitching in the Negro leagues and in Major League Baseball made him a legend in his own lifetime...
, Josh Gibson
Josh Gibson
Joshua Gibson was an American catcher in baseball's Negro leagues. He played for the Homestead Grays from 1930 to 1931, moved to the Pittsburgh Crawfords from 1932 to 1936, and returned to the Grays from 1937 to 1939 and 1942 to 1946...
and Buck Leonard
Buck Leonard
Walter Fenner "Buck" Leonard was an American first baseman in Negro league baseball. He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in along with his long-time teammate Josh Gibson.-Biography:...
became household names, even in parts of White America.
Raiford became a mentor
Mentor
In Greek mythology, Mentor was the son of Alcimus or Anchialus. In his old age Mentor was a friend of Odysseus who placed Mentor and Odysseus' foster-brother Eumaeus in charge of his son Telemachus, and of Odysseus' palace, when Odysseus left for the Trojan War.When Athena visited Telemachus she...
to ensuing young athletes, including tennis player Arthur Ashe
Arthur Ashe
Arthur Robert Ashe, Jr. was a professional tennis player, born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. During his career, he won three Grand Slam titles, putting him among the best ever from the United States...
, the first African-American male to win a Grand Slam
Grand Slam (tennis)
The four Major tennis tournaments, also called the Slams, are the most important tennis events of the year in terms of world tour ranking points, tradition, prize-money awarded, strength and size of player field, and public attention. They are the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon, and...
event. Raiford took the quiet teenager under his wing and schooled him on how to earn respect.
For Raiford, respect was hard to come by, even for a hero in his own hometown. Once as a police officer, Raiford offered to play for the Greensboro Patriots in a benefit game for polio victims. It did not matter that Raiford was a star athlete who played for large crowds; he was turned down flat. "That was the final insult," said Raiford, who never played baseball again.
Road to success
Raiford went on to become a human rights activist, a Greensboro City Council member, Commissioner of the Greensboro Parks and Recreation Department and the North Carolina Goodwill Ambassador for the 1972 Summer Olympics1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from August 26 to September 11, 1972....
in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, West Germany
West Germany
West Germany is the common English, but not official, name for the Federal Republic of Germany or FRG in the period between its creation in May 1949 to German reunification on 3 October 1990....
.
In 1977, Greensboro city officials honored Raiford by naming the historic Warnersville Recreation Center swimming pool after him.
Guarding life
When the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entered World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
in 1941, Raiford was authorized to aid military personnel and engage in voluntary rescue
Rescue
Rescue refers to responsive operations that usually involve the saving of life, or prevention of injury during an incident or dangerous situation....
missions for the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
.
Freedom fighter
Raiford was a key player during the turbulent civil rightsCivil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
movement of the 1960s by becoming one of Greensboro's two African-American bail bondsmen. Raiford freed then A&T student body president Jesse Jackson
Jesse Jackson
Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to...
after Jackson's first arrest following a protest march in 1963. Jackson and other activists, like Ezelle Blair and Joseph McNeil, committed to memory Raiford's home phone number.
When a targeted Jackson began facing a higher bail and stiffer sentence, Raiford often got the peaceful protestor out of jail on credit
Credit (finance)
Credit is the trust which allows one party to provide resources to another party where that second party does not reimburse the first party immediately , but instead arranges either to repay or return those resources at a later date. The resources provided may be financial Credit is the trust...
to continue the South's expanding Freedom Movement.
Historic curfew
In the wake of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr's assassinationAssassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
in Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis, Tennessee
Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....
, on April 4, 1968, the State of North Carolina enforced a strict curfew
Curfew
A curfew is an order specifying a time after which certain regulations apply. Examples:# An order by a government for certain persons to return home daily before a certain time...
that made it illegal for all civilians to leave their homes after 8:00 p.m.
It was on the evening of April 9, 1968, when Raiford dropped off a couple of just-freed A&T students and was returning home when the mandated curfew caught up with him. Raiford, now age 61, said he glanced at his watch, quietly exited his car, sensing something was not right. Raiford said he attempted to continue stealthily on foot, hoping the darkness of a neighborhood park would protect him.
Once he cleared the brush, Raiford said he was ambushed
Ambushed
Ambushed is the first album from hip hop group Da Bush Babees, with members Mr. Man, Babe-B-Face Kaos and Y-Tee. The group is famous for its affiliation with the Native Tongues. The album featured guest production from A Tribe Called Quest's Ali Shaheed Muhammad, Salaam Remi, and a young Jermaine...
by four angry police officers who did not care that Raiford was a recognized lawman. Raiford was arrested with force
Force
In physics, a force is any influence that causes an object to undergo a change in speed, a change in direction, or a change in shape. In other words, a force is that which can cause an object with mass to change its velocity , i.e., to accelerate, or which can cause a flexible object to deform...
and arms; he spent the night behind bars, fighting for the rights of others.
"There's no doubt that we had some tension in Greensboro that was uncontrollable," said then Mayor Carson Bain. "This was a dramatic period in our history. This was a turning point in American history."
Personal quotes
- "Though it may be wrong and take too long, sometimes you just have to go along to get along."
- "Black or white power means little without some green power behind it."
- "Love may make the world go 'round, but it's money that greases the wheels."
Education
Raiford attended North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State UniversityNorth Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University is a land-grant university located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States. It is the largest publicly funded historically black college in the state of North Carolina.NC A&T is a constituent institution of the University of North...
(A&T), where he lettered in football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and swimming
Swimming (sport)
Swimming is a sport governed by the Fédération Internationale de Natation .-History: Competitive swimming in Europe began around 1800 BCE, mostly in the form of the freestyle. In 1873 Steve Bowyer introduced the trudgen to Western swimming competitions, after copying the front crawl used by Native...
. Raiford graduated in 1936 with a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and was inducted into A&T's Sports Hall of Fame
Hall of Fame
A hall of fame, wall of fame, walk of fame, walk of stars or avenue of stars is a type of attraction established for any field of endeavor to honor individuals of noteworthy achievement in that field...
in 1971.
Family
Raiford and elementary schoolElementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
teacher
Teacher
A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...
Myrtle Mary Frances Wright were married for 54 years. They had four children: Conrad Eugene, Janice Artelia, Sharon Daisy and Lisa Rozenia.
Facts of life
- During the segregation era, Raiford provided a safe houseSafe houseIn the jargon of law enforcement and intelligence agencies, a safe house is a secure location, suitable for hiding witnesses, agents or other persons perceived as being in danger...
for such touring entertainers as James BrownJames BrownJames Joseph Brown was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and recording artist. He is the originator of Funk and is recognized as a major figure in the 20th century popular music for both his vocals and dancing. He has been referred to as "The Godfather of Soul," "Mr...
, Mahalia JacksonMahalia JacksonMahalia Jackson – January 27, 1972) was an African-American gospel singer. Possessing a powerful contralto voice, she was referred to as "The Queen of Gospel"...
and Moms MableyMoms MableyJackie "Moms" Mabley, born Loretta Mary Aiken , was an American standup comedian and a pioneer of the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit" of African-American vaudeville.-Early years:...
. - Raiford's wife was Rev. Jesse Jackson's FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
tutorTutorA tutor is a person employed in the education of others, either individually or in groups. To tutor is to perform the functions of a tutor.-Teaching assistance:...
while Jackson was a student at A&T. - Raiford was the fourth of 8 children born to Ernest and Nannie Raiford of Warnersville, Guilford County's first African-American settlement, established by Quaker John WarnerJohn WarnerJohn William Warner, KBE is an American Republican politician who served as Secretary of the Navy from 1972 to 1974 and as a five-term United States Senator from Virginia from January 2, 1979, to January 3, 2009...
. - In a May 22, 2002, letter addressed to Raiford's widow, North Carolina GovernorGovernorA governor is a governing official, usually the executive of a non-sovereign level of government, ranking under the head of state...
Mike EasleyMike EasleyMichael Francis "Mike" Easley is an American politician who served as the 72nd Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, from 2001 to 2009. He is member of the North Carolina Democratic Party and became the first North Carolina governor to admit to a felony in a deal that halted a lengthy...
praised Raiford's groundbreakingGroundbreakingGroundbreaking, also known as cutting, sod-cutting, turning the first sod or a sod-turning ceremony, is a traditional ceremony in many cultures that celebrates the first day of construction for a building or other project. Such ceremonies are often attended by dignitaries such as politicians and...
contributions to human rightsHuman rightsHuman rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...
and internationalInternational----International mostly means something that involves more than one country. The term international as a word means involvement of, interaction between or encompassing more than one nation, or generally beyond national boundaries...
goodwillSocial capitalSocial capital is a sociological concept, which refers to connections within and between social networks. The concept of social capital highlights the value of social relations and the role of cooperation and confidence to get collective or economic results. The term social capital is frequently...
.