Judson Who?

My first day of college was unforgettable. My grades in high school were so bad that I had to find a liberal arts college that would take me and not break my parents’ bank account. I wanted to have some distance between me and home, so I found Judson College in Elgin, Illinois, just northwest of Chicago.

Often confused with the all-female college by the same name in Alabama, Judson was named after Adoniram Judson, the first protestant missionary to Burma in 1813. It became Judson University in August, 2007. Originally Judson was affiliated with the American Baptist Association, the northern counterpart to the Southern Baptists. The preaching of the American Baptists was more mainline and less hellfire and brimstone. Like most other colleges that have religious foundations, Judson has evolved as an independent academic institution.

In the fall of 1965 my parents and I arrived at the Judson campus, having driven from Florida over a two day period. We climbed out of the car wearing matching red and white plaid shirts. How geeky was that? Immediately a big black man strode up to me, smiling, holding out his hand and saying, “Hi, I’m your big brother!” I fell back with the reply, “No, you’re not!”

After a confusing few minutes of sorting things out, I learned that upperclassmen were assigned to freshman, in order to help them acclimate to their new surroundings. The only other black person that I had been in the same room with was Joe, the cook at my mother’s restaurant, whom she often referred to as a “good n******.” My “big brother” said that he had sent me a letter, with photo, but I hadn’t received it. I wonder now what I would have done if I had gotten it before we left on our trip.

I didn’t like the way my mother talked of blacks, but at the time I did not consider her racist. I am now not only convinced that she was, but that it had rubbed off on me. I finally accepted my new friend, but I avoided most opportunities to have any contact with him. He had even offered to drive me around town and show me the area, but I was afraid we would end up in the black section; so my fear drove him away. He finally gave up on me.

I look forward to the day when I can ask his forgiveness and embrace him as a true brother