Driven: The Moth Radio Hour

The Moth - The Moth

Juliet Holmes shares a powerful personal story of resilience and civil rights activism rooted in her childhood experiences driving to Tybee Beach in

Key takeaways

• The family car was both a sanctuary and a vehicle for resistance during segregation.
• Every trip to Tybee Beach was an act of quiet defiance against systemic racism.

Main topics

• Segregation in the American South
• Civil rights activism through nonviolent protest

Notable quotes

"One day. One day it's going to be different. That is God's Atlantic Ocean, and that's God's sand."

Conclusion

Juliet Holmes' story underscores the profound impact of quiet courage and familial love in advancing

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:12) This is the Moth Radio Hour. I'm your host, Jennifer Hickson. Have you ever heard the advice that if you want to have an important conversation, have it in the car? There's no place to go at 55 miles an hour, so it's a pretty strong strategy for getting your talking points heard. And the car is an intimate space. The content of the conversation will hit targeted ears only. Speaker 2 (0:37) It was completely unplanned, but during one car ride, I explained the very basic elements of how babies are made to my children. My son was silent for a moment and then asked, but how do they talk the men into doing that? I had to add a couple extra miles onto that trip. In this hour, stories of the driven, both literally and figuratively. In this first story, both. A beloved car and very fierce determination. Juliet Holmes' story begins in the 1940s when she was still a little girl. Juliet told me, growing up in the segregated South, many places that were called public were actually restricted for black people. it wasn't unusual for her family to observe the world from the safety of their car. At the Williamsburg Hall of Music in Brooklyn, where WNYC is a media partner of the Moth, here's Juliet Holmes. Speaker 6 (1:39) Well, I guess you all can tell that I had two men Walk me on the stage. Speaker 6 (1:54) In other words, ladies. Speaker 6 (1:58) You are never too old. to have two men. Speaker 6 (2:04) Not one, but two. Speaker 6 (2:09) And I'm going to tell my age tonight so that you all can say, huh? Speaker 6 (2:17) I still have it going on at 84. Speaker 6 (2:36) I'm not gonna talk trash tonight. I'm gonna get to the business of telling my story. Speaker 6 (2:44) I grew up in Savannah, Georgia. Speaker 6 (2:49) in the low country. And Savannah was like all... segregated apartheid. cities in the South. Speaker 6 (3:02) And what an experience. But I really didn't know. that I was living in a segregated world. Speaker 6 (3:13) Because my mama and my daddy took such care of me and my sister and the community. We lived in the village. Speaker 6 (3:28) Savannah is a beautiful city with a lot of other islands around the mainland in Savannah, like White Bluff, Pinpoint, Skidaway Island. so many other Speaker 6 (3:50) But one of my favorite places to go was to Tybee Beach. Speaker 6 (4:00) Tybee Beach was like 28 miles from the city of Savannah. And on Sunday afternoon after church, my daddy and mama would take us on rides or drives in our green Chevrolet. And my daddy loved that green Chevrolet. And so did we. My sister and I would sit in the back. and each one of us would have a window. My mama would sit in the front and my daddy would drive. And my baby brother many times would sit in my mama's lap or either crawl in the back and sit between us. And on our drive to Tybee, Oh, it was wonderful because the savanna, you could see the grass so even, not one blade trying to out-whirl the other, but it was like a carpet. And the marshland and the sea life, and to smell the ocean, to smell the Atlantic Ocean. And on our drive, we would talk because we couldn't wait to get to Tybee Island. Speaker 6 (5:26) When we would get on the island, My daddy would say to us, Now look look look to your left look look look I'm gonna pull over And we knew what that meant. The amusement park. all with the merry-go-round. and the Ferris wheel and all of the excitement and you could hear the children and the people laughing and having so much fun. And we wanted the same thing. But we sat in the green Chevrolet. watching and just having fun too and laughing. Speaker 6 (6:10) As my daddy would slowly go down the main street, we would look out the window, and we saw women walking with their bathing suits and shorts and sunback dresses and hats, and the men, the same thing, walking with their bathing suits and just having so much fun, and the little children going in and out of stores and restaurants and the ice cream parlors. Speaker 6 (6:41) And after a while, someone would hit on the car. Speaker 6 (6:47) Where are you going, boy? My daddy wouldn't say anything. Did you bring her down here to work? Speaker 6 (6:56) Or are you working in one of the restaurants? Are you playing in one of the vans? Speaker 6 (7:03) There was silence. Speaker 6 (7:06) And every time we would go, we'd go through the same thing. My daddy didn't answer. We don't want any trouble down here this day. So I would say to you, turn that car around, boy, and you go back. Speaker 6 (7:24) Go back to Savannah. Speaker 6 (7:29) Everything would be quiet. Speaker 6 (7:33) And as we were leaving, Speaker 6 (7:36) Tybee. Speaker 6 (7:38) my mama would say, One day. One day it's going to be different. That is God's Atlantic Ocean, and that's God's sand. And we have to abide by someone else's rules. Speaker 6 (8:03) and she would start to hum. Speaker 7 (8:08) Hmm Speaker 7 (8:10) Hmm. Hmm. Speaker 6 (8:23) God's gonna trouble the waters. Wade in the water. Wade in the water, Lord. Wade in the water. God's gonna trouble the water. Speaker 6 (8:45) And one day, one day... My girls will be able, my son will be able to go on Tybee Beach. My grandchildren and my great-grandchildren and people who look like me, who look like us. Everything would be quiet. And then Daddy would turn on the radio to listen to the gospel music. And we would sing and hum. And the closer we got to Savannah, My daddy would say, we're going to stop and get some ice cream. Speaker 6 (9:27) will lighten up this mood in the car. Speaker 6 (9:33) As I look back, and after I finished college, I moved to New York City. Speaker 6 (9:41) But the movement was on. Speaker 6 (9:45) the Civil Rights Movement. I would call home to find out what was going on in the movement. Speaker 6 (9:54) And one of those times I called, my daddy said, I got a telephone call. Speaker 6 (10:03) from one of the members of the NAACP. And they know that I have a good car, a fast car, and I could drive. And they want to know if I would take some of the young members of the NAACP to the weighed in. down at Tybee Beach. I said, well, Daddy, what are you going to do? He said, what do you think I'm going to do? I'm going to take them. Speaker 6 (10:34) Every now and then I would call back to find out how was the waiting going. Speaker 6 (10:41) And he would tell me exactly how it was going on. Speaker 6 (10:46) And many times they would try to go into the, to swim in the Atlantic Ocean, but the policemen would stop them. And there was a lady who owned... a restaurant and a rooming house. And she told the members of the NAACP that some of the people could come and change into their swimming outfits. to go swim in the waters. Speaker 6 (11:22) And when the powers that be found out about it, they told her, if you permit, if you let them come, and use your house, we will chase you off of the island. Speaker 6 (11:39) So Speaker 6 (11:41) She didn't permit. Speaker 6 (11:45) the children to come. Speaker 6 (11:48) But the children started to wear their bathing suits under their clothing. and some of them would wade with their clothing on. Speaker 6 (12:02) And sure enough, Speaker 6 (12:06) Tybee. became integrated. Speaker 6 (12:11) If you go and visit Savannah, Speaker 6 (12:16) and go to Mark Gilbert's Black Museum. You will see. Speaker 6 (12:24) a picture of the front of the Green Chevrolet. and a plaque with my daddy's name where he helped to integrate Tybee Beach. Speaker 6 (12:40) Now as a grandmother, Speaker 6 (12:44) First a mama, then a grandmama. Speaker 6 (12:49) One time that we went down to visit and my mama was still living. Speaker 6 (12:57) The grandchildren. Speaker 6 (13:01) the great-grandchildren who are my granddaughters, And all of us, the family, was able to go and sit on the sand at Tybee Beach and to wade and swim. Speaker 6 (13:22) in the Atlantic Ocean. And... Speaker 6 (13:29) And that is how it was growing up. in Savannah, Georgia. Thank you. Speaker 2 (13:55) That was Juliet Holmes. She was resplendent that night, dressed in gold. She got a standing ovation and said this to the audience. Speaker 6 (14:05) Thank you. Speaker 2 (14:07) I Speaker 6 (14:08) am thrilled and overwhelmed and this cane that I'm carrying is a Sankofa bird that I bought when I was visiting Africa. and the head is turned because it says, never forget where you came from. Never forget. And that's why I'm carrying my cane tonight. Speaker 2 (14:41) Juliet told this story in June, and just two months later in August of 2022, a plaque was erected outside of Tybee Beach to commemorate the Wade-ins. The first official Wade-in was in 1960. Eleven students were arrested on the whites-only public beach. Speaker 2 (14:59) Undeterred, the protesters kept coming, sometimes driven by Juliet's father and his beloved green Chevrolet. Speaker 2 (15:15) Tybee Beach was integrated just months before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 officially prohibited discrimination in public accommodations. Speaker 2 (15:28) To see a picture of the plaque at Tybee Beach and of Juliet's parents, visit themoth.org, where you can also download the story and share one of your own on our pitch line. Speaker 2 (15:40) Do you have a story of being not just a witness to history, but part of history? We'd love to hear a pitch from you. You can pitch us by recording it right on our site. The best pitches are developed for moth shows all around the world. Speaker 2 (15:59) In a moment, a very different definition of drive. Stories of determination. That don't-take-no-for-an-answer sort of drive. That's when the Moth Radio Hour continues. Speaker 8 (16:24) The Moth Radio Hour is produced by Atlantic Public Media in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Speaker 1 (16:31) What is Toyota affordability? It all starts with buying smart. And your Toyota dealer has great deals available to qualified customers on reliable cars and SUVs, including the redesigned RAV4, spacious Grand Highlander, Sporty Camrys and Corollas? It means driving for less with efficient hybrid and plug-in hybrid options available throughout the lineup, extending your overall driving range and delivering great MPGs, saving you money at the pump. And it means trading for more. Toyota is known for building long-lasting vehicles and as the best resale value brand according to Kelly Blue Book, your Toyota can be worth thousands more than average when it's time to trade in. 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