Preface to "The Help of Destin"
For 57 years, truly, Emma Irby was "the Help" of Destin.
She recollects"helping" more than 75 of our families to the third and fourth generations; first the parents, then their children, and grandchildren, and great grandchildren. She was passed from friend to friend, family to family, place to place. She helped pioneers and newcomers alike.
In the 1950's she cleaned our earliest motels and cottages, and in the 1970s made the cole slaw at the new Capt. Dave's Restaurant. Behind the scenes, she was helping Destin prosper.
Eleven Presidents took office during the 57 years she spent among us, starting with Dwight David Eisenhower. She watched Destin grow from a small fishing village to a world famous resort, increasing from one mile to seven miles long, and city population booming from 750 to 15,000? residents. Now Okaloosa County hosts 20 million international visitors a year.
She was here even before"Civil Rights." When a small but active kkk in Destin posted the insulting sign, “Negro don’t let the sun set on your head, ” it pointed to her, since she was the only "colored" person actually living in Destin. Negros were relegated to "The Quarters" in Ft. Walton. Segregation and "bussing" were policy in Okaloosa County. There were separate parks and beaches for black and white; "Liza Jackson Park" and “Beasley Park"attest to this. Yet she lived long enough to see the first African-American President, Barack Obama and his First Lady move into the White House and seek reelection.
Emma walked the same streets of Destin and Ft. Walton for 57 years. I calculate 12 miles per week over 2,964 weeks, would be an incredible 35,568 miles! That's a lot of sand in her shoes. She walked over the Destin bridge to Ft. Walton for one job, and back for another, in a single day in 1992. She never drove, but rode in the back seat of her clients' cars, thinking it her place. Each year she "went Greyhound" to visit her mother and sisters in Mobile, Alberta, Gee's Bend, Vernon, or Selma. Shocking many, she flew Eastern Airlines to Washington, D.C., as the only invitee from Destin to President Jimmy Carter's Inaugural Ball in 1976.
At times, out of necessity, she slept in the woods or in hotel rooms, or making herself a "pallet" in the laundry room, "servants quarters," children's rooms, garages, carports and even cars. She called it "making do." But in my house, as my friend, she had the guest room for three years, whenever she wanted.
Emma was very respectful and humble, but at the same time held her head up proudly. She was one of the most outrageously memorable personalities in Destin, which is saying alot because there are quite a few among us. Famous for her hilarious hats and stories, she was also known for beautifying the streets of Destin by picking up soda cans. She was kind to children, hated dogs, and was never afraid of hard work.
Why is she important? As the last of her brothers and sisters, and one of a mere handful of surviving women from historical Gee's Bend, Alabama, she is a member of a vanishing culture in America. In Africa it is said that when an older person dies, a library burns.
Emma left Destin against her will in 1993 and has never returned. This author felt that she deserved a fitting place in Destin's memory, and hopefully, American history. To this end, she will be memorialized in this book and in the Destin History & Fishing Museum"Footsteps in the Sand" pathway with her own brick, laid next to the families' who lived in Destin and knew her well. She loved them as her very own family.
Today Emma lives in Adult Foster Care in her own apartment in Mobile, Alabama. She is still walking to the center each day for her mail, working at keeping house, while "Keepin' up with the Prez'dents" and "what dey do in Washingto'.”
Americans today could learn something from her.
Right now, If Emma could speak to us, she would say:
"I love all of ya'll."
(c)2012 Athena Marler Creamer. All Rights Reserved.)
No comments:
Post a Comment