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Centennial Collection

Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters
Courtesy of Big Brothers Big Sisters

Big Brothers Big Sisters opens history wall;  SLU grad student’s actions showcased

2014 marked the 100th anniversary of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri, and to mark this milestone — and usher in a new era — BBBSEMO’s St. Louis office held a public reception on Wednesday, Jan. 21 to introduce a new history display, dubbed the Centennial Collection, that its leaders say commemorates both the agency’s history and the history of the building in which it is housed. BBBSEMO officials said it took time during much of 2014 to do research and compile photo records for the Centennial Collection.

“The end result is the Centennial Collection, a set of agency historic documents, photos and other memorabilia that are displayed prominently on the walls of the St. Louis office’s first floor,” BBBSEMO said in a news release.

The Centennial Collection includes documents pertaining to the history of Big Brothers Big Sisters itself, but also to the organization’s physical headquarters on the corner of Grand Boulevard and Olive Street — only a couple of blocks from the Saint Louis University campus. The history of the headquarters — the old Woolworth building — is important, BBBSEMO says, because it is a history rife with instances of ordinary St. Louisans making a stand for civil rights and social equality for all—something BBBSEMO sees as intimately tied to its mission.

“It is absolutely a significant part of history we had to cover,” BBBSEMO President and CEO Becky James-Hatter said in the news release, referencing the importance of the Centennial Collection’s inclusion of photographs detailing the headquarters’ history. “It is important to acknowledge the history of a building where now all people are welcome and embraced.”

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As a part of this commemoration of the building’s history — and its significance in the civil rights movement — the Centennial Collection display will include a number of photographs of Irene Williams, a SLU graduate student in the 1950s who helped desegregate businesses in St. Louis, including the Woolworth store.

“Irene Williams was an African-American student in speech and language therapy at St. Louis University when she helped CORE (Committee of Racial Equality) to integrate eating establishments near the university,” said Vivian Gibson, Senior Director of Volunteer Recruitment at Big Brothers Big Sisters in an email.

According to Gibson and a book on the topic of non-violent civil protest, “Victory Without Violence” by Mary Kimbrough, in 1953, Williams went to Woolworth’s every Wednesday, sat on an assigned stool near the back of the store and waited to be served. It was two months before workers behind the counter offered her service. After being served, she was eventually told by the Woolworth’s manager that she was no longer limited to her seat in the back of the store; she could sit anywhere.

“[Irene] sat there alone until all were welcome to sit and eat freely,” the BBBSEMO statement said.

In addition to Irene’s legacy, BBBSEMO and SLU have a good relationship, said Mary Jane Daum, Senior Director of Communications at Big Brothers Big Sisters.

“We have other connections as far as SLU goes because [SLU’s] student base volunteers to serve as Big Brothers and Big Sisters, so we appreciate that, and [SLU’s] commitment and focus to service,” she said. “I think that from my observations students at SLU feel like this is their community while they’re here, and they want to give back, so we certainly appreciate that.”

But for BBBSEMO, the story of Irene Williams fits particularly well with their mission, and its commemoration as part of the Centennial Collection is a testament to its goal of being an inclusive organization.

Wednesday’s gathering, the BBBSEMO statement said, “honor[ed] the thousands who have made the impossible possible for children of the community.”

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