Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 16, 1992 TAG: 9201170378
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: ALMENA HUGHES
DATELINE: LENGTH: Long
FOR THE PEOPLE
HENRY Craighead says he agrees with Martin Luther King's tenet that a person who is afraid to speak up for his rights is not fit to live.Craighead has been speaking up for his as well as other people's rights most of his life.
On Jan. 1, that outspokenness played a part in his being named Citizen of the Year by the Roanoke branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Evangeline Jeffrey, president of the Roanoke NAACP, says Craighead was chosen based on his activities in the community.
She describes him as "a champion of the people and a civil rights activist," which is just what Craighead says he thinks he should be.
"My mother always said we should speak up for what's right and do what we could to help others without bragging about it," says the Vinton native who moved to Roanoke in 1948.
His community involvement begins in his own neighborhood, where he is active in the Melrose-Rugby Partnership Forum. Among other things, the forum helps with transporting its older members to appointments and got a small city grant to help people in the neighborhood obtain materials to fix up their homes.
Craighead says that one of his earliest memories of activism dates to the early '50s and was sparked by his love of baseball.
"Back then, blacks had to play [ball] at Washington Park, which had a creek running through it. A group of us went to see the [recreation] department about getting some lights in the park, but we were told there was no money for lights. We said OK, then we wanted some [playing] dates at Wasena Park. Well, somehow they got up the money to put lights in at Washington Park instead of letting us in Wasena."
But perhaps Craighead's most widely publicized activism has been his fight against a rule of procedure in federal courts called Rule 11.
After unsuccessfully picketing and petitioning to have the rule overturned, a 5-year-old group called Concerned Citizens for Justice, of which Craighead is second vice president, filed suit in the U.S. Supreme Court in November.
"Rule 11 says that if you file a civil rights suit, a judge can fine you and your lawyer for bringing that suit if he thinks the suit is frivolous. That's just wrong and it takes away your constitutional rights," Craighead says.
A clerk at the Roanoke City Law Library explains that the sanctions may be applied against any civil action filed in a federal court and not just civil rights suits.
Craighead says that by reading, researching and keeping his eyes and ears open for new developments, he stays "up on Title 7 of the 1964 Civil Rights Act," particularly the sections and laws affecting discrimination and retaliation.
To him, civil rights are for everyone, just as the NAACP is for everyone.
"Many people think that the NAACP is black," he says. "But it was actually started by whites to help blacks. And many of the top whites both across the country and here in Roanoke are members."
Craighead says that he and his wife of 41 years, Virgie, who is secretary of Concerned Citizens, have belonged to the NAACP for about 20 years and are paid up lifetime members.
As to criticisms of the organization, he says he thinks that it's "getting better about addressing issues and helping out on cases."
"Those who criticize are mostly non-members," he says. "But the first time they're discriminated against, they come running for help. Yet they don't want to pay the $10 membership dues.
"My own personal feeling is if they have money but won't pay those little dues to help the organization, they really don't deserve its help."
He has a few other strong opinions.
On Clarence Thomas' nomination to the Supreme Court, he says, "Bush put Thomas in as a yes-man. But after seeing how some of the major civil rights groups feel about him, he may surprise everyone and turn out to be a good justice after all."
On quotas, he says: "If it wasn't for quotas, many companies wouldn't have a single black working for them. But it shouldn't be a giveaway. I think the blacks should be qualified for the position, too."
And on Gov. Douglas Wilder: "I like him. He's for women's rights, and he's not afraid to speak up for what he believes in."
Craighead obviously doesn't have a lot of spare time. When he gets a few free moments, he most often can be found on a baseball diamond at Wasena or Fallon park or Jackson Middle School.
A baseball player and coach for more than 50 years, he coaches a girls' softball team and a co-ed baseball team, both called the Beebos.
"One thing people know about me, I don't let anybody mess with my players," he says. "Not husbands, not boyfriends, not girlfriends or wives."
He's also active in First Baptist Church of Vinton, where he's been a member for 58 years. Despite his long membership, he emphasises he's not a church deacon. "That might conflict with some of the other things I do, like sometimes coaching baseball on Sundays."
Craighead says he was shocked at being nominated for the NAACP award. In fact, he tried to decline the award because he says he felt there were others who were much more deserving. But he was finally convinced to accept it, and pleased to receive what he believes were sincere congratulations from some of the other contenders.
Jeffries said the annual Freedom Day Celebration, which marks the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation, has been held for at least 25 years.
"On Jubilee Day, we reflect on the past year and set goals for the next," she said.
Of Craighead, she said, "He sometimes comes across as rough and gruff, but he's really a gentle, kindly spirit who is adamant about the causes he fights for."
Keywords:
PROFILE
NOTE: EVANGELINE JEFFREY'S NAME WAS ORIGINALLY SPELLED JEFFRIES.