They became particularly close following George's death. For Ellis, it finally came to me that I had more in common with poor black people than I did with rich white ones., When the children got us together and said they wanted to go to school together. Tensions steadily rose, but near the end the two had a change of heart. The Best of Enemies true story reveals that Ann Atwater got married at the age of 14 and moved to Durham, NC in 1953. I hated her guts., BlacKkKlansman: How black detective Ron Stallworth infiltrated the Colorado Klan, Atwater countered: I hated him just as hard as he hated me. In real life, the labor union (AFL-CIO) in Durham was given a grant to help mediate the problem, after which a 10-day public meeting, or charrette, was held. Poverty was still a problem in the segregated society; in 1950 28% of families lived below the designated poverty line of $3000. The funeral homes were still segregated, said Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove, director of the School for Conversion, a community program in Durham. With her persistence, the office set up private booths for meetings with each client. They got all the good jobs and youre all sittin here letting em do it. He said that black people should stay on the other side of the railroad because they had no business in town. Gradually Atwater became a leader among the participants in Operation Breakthrough meetings. And I had my coat on, and I took the manual off the desk and put it under my coat while she was fussing about coming there and not getting any help. Ellis, who died of Alzheimer's in 2005, became a champion of union and labor organizations, working as an AFL-CIO organizer. Ann Atwater is best known for her work in civil rights, and for her unlikely friendship with Ku Klux Klan leader C.P. They also proposed major changes in the school curriculum, such as more instruction on dealing with racial violence, creation of a group to discuss and resolve problems before they escalated, and expansion in choices of textbooks to include African-American authors. [8][pageneeded]. Atwater, who died in 2016 at the age of 80, defied stereotypes. Kathleen Peterson He grabbed my hand and said, Dont give them the satisfaction.'. Racism was instilled in Ellis from a young age. The poor blacks of Durham had to fight both racial and class divisions: one against the whites who claimed superiority and another against the wealthier blacks who did not want to associate themselves with the lower class. is the president of the KKK, and cares for his children. Sadly, Elizabeth would die soon after in 1985 and Michael Peterson became the guardian of her two children. WebKathleen had one daughter named Caitlin from her first marriage to physicist Fred Atwater, per PopSugar. Atwater was selected as co-chair. He was to tear it apart. ELLIS (Civil Rights Advocate): I wanted to make them angry. Elliss funeral in 2005, Ann Atwater delivered his eulogy. Then, when it was nearly over, Atwater and Ellis had a change of heart. She and her husband relocated to Durham soon after in the hopes of better opportunities, but things shifted for the worst. That process has been portrayed in the movies, The Best of Enemies, and An Unlikely Friendship, and in the Studs Terkel book Race: How Blacks & Whites Think & Feel about the American Obsession.. "I haven't been the same since I left that school program," he said years later. From then on, she demanded to be heard.. Ann Atwater But the job didnt last, and Atwater went to the Department of Social Services to apply for help. No. Some people may not have liked that she was demanding and outspoken, but those qualities enabled her to be a successful activist and organizer. [10][pageneeded]. That first meeting marked the start of her involvement in helping the poor black community fight poverty. Daves Hot Chicken will have you begging for more, and maybe for mercy, Josiah Gray finishes April with a flourish as Nats avoid a series sweep, The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South, Durham Herald-Sun titled What Forgiveness Costs.. When he requested that she and the two girls come, Atwater wrote a letter saying: I already followed you to Durham. When Atwater had first met C. P. Ellis at a previous Durham city council meeting, she felt great resentment toward him. Through Operation Breakthrough, Atwater was selected for the 1971 charrette or series of planning meetings over the integration of Durhams schools. Today, Todd is believed to be living in Tennessee. Ellis lived across the tracks in a neighborhood nearly as destitute, but white. Elliss position at the margins of white society frustrated him, and looking for a scapegoat, he turned to the target provided by the Klan, as he explained in a 1980 interview with oral historian Studs Terkel: I really began to get bitter. We looked at each other. Yes. Clayton Peterson was sentenced to four years in prison for a failed attempt to firebomb the Duke University Administration Building, reports Metro.US. In examining The Best of Enemies' historical accuracy, we learned that Ann Atwater was ridiculed by some in her community over the fact that she had worked with C.P. we would see whose God would be the strongest, my God or his God. Bill Riddick, a professor and consultant, was contracted by union organizers to help solve the crisis. Fuller met with each resident enrolled in Operation Breakthrough, getting to know them personally and helping identify issues to be fixed. Ellis Says Klan Days Have Been Over for Awhile,, This page was last edited on 1 February 2022, at 22:25. Atwater found her niche. However, the prosecution did not accuse Peterson of Elizabeth Ratliff's death at his trial. Ellis, whos played by Sam Rockwell. And he wasn't clapping his hands even along with us; he would clap an odd beat. Ellis came to realize that blacks were not suppressing poor whites, and that the two groups shared problems. According to The Best of Enemies true story, Ann says that C.P. It was at this house in Durhams Hayti District where she met Howard Fuller, the man that would help her reach her destiny as a pioneering advocate. When her job as a maid ended, she found herself living in a dilapidated house in North Durham on a Two years later, she had another baby, whom she named Lydia, Davidson wrote. My husband was already here, and he sent back for me and my oldest child, and he told me he had a place for us to live, Atwater later recalled. I didnt like Ann boycotting stores. I pulled out the knife that I kept in my handbag and opened the blade. "We were chosen to be co-chairs to integrate the school system peacefully," said Atwater (School for Conversion). Born Ann George in the community of Hallsboro in Columbus County, North Carolina, she was pregnant and married at the age of 14. Ellis was the Grand Cyclops of the Durham chapter of the Ku Klux Klan, raised in a poor white family that taught him to hate black people. Caitlin Atwater was the daughter of Kathleen and her first husband, Fred Atwater, though she was very close with the entire Peterson family. Over the course of the 10 days that they co-chaired the committee on school desegregation, Ann Atwater and C.P. I didn't like them. But my pastor was sitting there and saw me holding the knife. "This particular night C.P. She was also not afraid to tell anyone to go to hell if she felt like it. The Best of Enemies true story reveals that Ann Atwater got married at the age of 14 and moved to Durham, NC in 1953. Ellis began to change. Ignoring her and the parents with her was a mistake. Is The Best of Enemies a True Story Ellis (portrayed by Sam Rockwell). As seen in The Staircase on HBO Max, Caitlin's opinion changed after she saw autopsy pictures showcasing the severity of Kathleen Peterson's injuries and after learning of Michael Peterson's bisexuality. However, Yes, this comes straight from Diane Bloom's 2002 documentary, No. And we showed that towards each other up until we went into the (unintelligible) a 10-day meeting. By the end of the charrette, Ellis gave up his leadership in the KKK. BLOCK: Well, Ann Atwater, thanks very much for talking with us. C.P. And when I'd walk up to the school building, I had my white Bible in my hand. When asked if she believed Michael killed her mother, she said: When prompted for a possible reason why, Atwater called it "truly a culmination of a storm," that might have come from financial issues and secrets within the marriage. Over 10 days, the opposing sides met and tension grew. One of the workers said, Maam, this is the service for Clayborn Ellis. She was a fierce fighter for rights for poor African Americans who shook up the white power establishment in Durham, N.C. in the 1960s. She even experienced racism in that moment, when a funeral home worker doubted she knew the deceased. [1] In the documentary An Unlikely Friendship, Atwater recalled that while working on a white owner's farm, she was given food only through the back door and after the white workers had eaten. "[11] Atwater and Ellis came to realize some commonalities, among them that their children were ostracized because of the parents' working together. She was born in Hallsboro, N.C., the daughter of sharecroppers. She was the star of her class, Davidson wrote, and when the training was over, she could [as she herself put it] kill anybody that wasnt already dead.. The two became lifelong friends, often appearing together in interviews and documentaries. The experience inspired her to become involved in housing advocacy herself. The defense team claimed Kathleen was aware of Michael's sexuality and was fine with it, but Atwater did not believe her mother would have been accepting. -An Unlikely Friendship Documentary, Yes. They wanted their children to attend schools free of violence. -School for Conversion Interview. Before the trial, Ratliff's body was exhumed and autopsied, at which point a second autopsy suggested that she, too, had suffered head trauma, according to CNN. When Atwater discovered caseworkers kept key information from clients, she figured out how to get the information herself. Change did not come easily or suddenly, and the two faced ostracism, even death threats; C.P. She was born in Hallsboro, N.C., the daughter of sharecroppers. She did. Yes. (Romper reached out to Michael Peterson's representatives and Netflix for additional statements.). And she was an effective boycotter, too. He stayed in touch with me; I'd call him. I'm Michele Norris. Ann Atwater organizes neighbors after completing Community Action Training with the North Carolina Fund. The school's Ann Atwater Freedom Library continues her work of "making surprising friendships possible".[15]. As far as he was concerned, it was the savior of the white people. [3] The faucets in the bathroom were faulty, shooting out water so intensely that her kids nicknamed it Niagara Falls. So I grabbed his hand and trying to show him how to clap along with us at the same time till we learned him how to clap. The two were thrown together in 1971 as co-chairs of a charrette, a series of long and intense meetings between a diverse group of people. He renounced his Klan membership, became lifelong friends with Atwater and went on to organize black and white labor unions. Story of unlikely friendship in Durham hits The Durham federal district court had just ordered desegregation of schools to comply with the Supreme Court ruling, an action which was still opposed by many residents. Ann's daughter's school catches on fire, and C.P. She began to represent poor people with housing problems, and would go door-to-door telling others of her own previous housing problems and how she was able to resolve them. The two were fiercely dedicated to improving the prospects of their people, Atwater as a militant activist for housing reform, and Ellis as the Exalted Cyclops of Durhams Ku Klux Klan. Atwater initially declined to serve as co-chair, but reluctantly agreed to work with Ellis. Ellis described the hatred he felt toward blacks going in. VarietyThe Best of Enemies depicts the unexpected friendship between Ann Atwater and C.P. Ann Atwater Atwater had been an activist for quite some time before her role in helping to solve the problems related to the desegregation of schools, which is what's focused on in the movie. C.P. Ellis and Ann Atwater established during that time endured, as did Ellis change in attitude. That was Howard Fuller with Operation Breakthrough, a program founded in Durham in 1964 to address poverty and inequality. Ann Nakia Green, Atwater's granddaughter, now lives in Texas. Ann Atwater Pushed To Integrate Her Citys Schools And Got A Klansman Named C.P. He invited Atwater to a meeting and to join. I didn't like the demonstrations downtown, Ellis told NPR in a 1996 interview. Her goal was to teach the people the necessary skills to survive. She learned to take second place.[2]. She credits her parents for teaching her the value of discipline and hard work, which has been the foundation for her success as a community activist. The purpose of this charrette was to discuss school desegregation, a still contentious issue, and to draw up a series of recommendations to present to the school board. It was during this series of meetings in the summer of 1971 that C.P. Ellis, "and I particularly didn't want it at the time, but then I knew we were going to have to be at one school and the children had to get the best education they could. From then on, she demanded to be heard. In July 1971, the public schools were still segregated, despite the 1954 US Supreme Court ruling that segregated schools were unconstitutional, and 1960s federal civil rights legislation about integration of public facilities. But much rang true. An Alford plea is one where the defendant admits that the evidence against them would likely lead to a finding of guilty, but the defendant asserts their innocence. Durham schools suffered from increasing racial tensions among students anxious about the future. "She didn't particularly like the Klan," C.P. It seems an unlikely end for a sharecroppers daughter who had taken food from the farmers back door and who had internalized that she came second. Michael and Kathleen Peterson raised a large, blended family with children from previous relationships. After the course, Atwater had found her lifes purpose. She showed him her house and he invited her to his program. "They said I sold out because I worked with a Klansman," recalled Atwater. The two realized they had been arguing about the wrong things, that they had the same hopes for their children and a lot in common as poor people. In 1967, Atwater took a 17-week training course where she learned about tenant rights, housing codes and how to organize community protests. They just have them. However, her husband soon left her, and she was faced with raising their two children on her own. He invited Atwater to co-lead the charrette with C. P. Ellis, who was then the Exalted Grand Cyclops of the Durham Ku Klux Klan. The natural person for me to hate would be black people, because my father before me was a member of the Klan. Ann's dad had encouraged her baby's father to marry her. They would turn the chairs around and demand to be heard. Fuller looked at the house and asked Atwater if shed like help in fixing it. And then starting into the next week, we talked to the youth, and we found out that the children was the ones suffering. The movie, which tells the story of the unlikely friendship that developed between Atwater and C.P. She was taught that whites were better and that their needs came before hers. As a result, there was no one to direct the Klan's Youth Corp and the program disbanded. I began to blame it on black people. She made no bones about taking them out if necessary. I had to hate somebody. Claiborne Paul Ellis, union organiser, born January 8 1927; died November 3 2005, A reformed white racist, he fought for black workers, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. Ellis have agreed to take part in these meetings, which were all about improving race relations and figuring out a way to integrate the schools? One day when Atwater went to the welfare office to see if she could get $100 to pay her overdue rent and avoid eviction, she happened to meet Fuller. Ellis, read about Malcolm Xs brutal assassination and Americas struggle for civil rights. Ms. ATWATER: Yeah. Two years later, they had a daughter named Lydia. The Society's Olivia DeJonge portrays Caitlin Atwater in HBO Max's The Staircase. Peterson was the last person to see her alive. She knew that some welfare workers were guilty of this. Ann actually gave Ellis' eulogy when he passed away. I went on back out the street and went on down, right back down the street to the office, and we Xeroxed the part that told the welfare recipients their rights.. In 1971 Atwater was asked to co-chair a group looking for answers for the problems of desegregation of Durham Schools. They also raised Margaret and Martha Ratliff, the daughters of their friends George and Elizabeth Ratliff. Atwater married Willie Pettiford in 1975 and eventually had two daughters, the late Lydia Green and Marilynn Turner. -School for Conversion, Yes. For example, when addressing a white person, the welfare worker would politely call the person over to the desk and there privately ask Your name? ", Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile. She didnt know you could ask for repairs. Ms. ATWATER: Well, in the first five days of the meetings, we had a choir come in, a gospel choir, a church choir--to come in and do some singing. It was funded by the North Carolina Fund, a statewide program to improve education. [2] Riddick recruited participants from all sectors of Durham. We saw that each other, you know, was making it. And that plan was to put us there to make sure that this school integration would be done peacefully, and that's what happened.