Serving Our Seniors Magazine: Jan - March 2023

this.’ “My parents had to sell the house in 1973, because of redlining.” Another life altering experience was her desire to attend Philadelphia High School for Girls. This was a school for the gifted. She was an all-A student in 7th and 8th grade and the top of her class. “Because this high school didn’t want black students to attend, black students had to take an I.Q. test,” she said. She took the test and she was denied admission. She asked why and was told her IQ score was too low. She asked for her score and her school counselor, who was white, replied, “We can’t tell you that.” The next day, her best friend’s father, a bi-racial man, who passed for being a white person, went to the school with Marsha’s father. They both voiced their objections to Marsha being denied admission to Girls High. The next school day, she was told to report to her counselor’s office. Her counselor gave her the same I.Q. test. Minutes after turning in the test, he told her that she passed. She will be attending Girls High. Marsha’s future could have easily followed a different path had it not been Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., her parents and friends. All stood up for her consistent with Dr. King’s teachings. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Dr. Cooper! You are an inspiration to us all! 16