Milton Donald

Milton writes about the specialness of being reared by a Black grandmother, that extraordinary bond that develops, that “nothing she would not do for you” way of existing, and that “always wanting to make her proud attitude of the grandchild.  He writes about her buying the World Book Encyclopedia rather than the cheaper one in the grocery store. She proudly admonished him and his sister to “Look it up in the encyclopedia.” when they asked her questions.

Milton says his grandmother’s commitment to the Struggle included participating in the Tuskegee Boycott, boarding students with limited finances in her home, and mentoring young people in the community.  One of the documents in the Children of the Struggle archive is a copy of a letter Dr. George Washington Carver wrote to Milton’s grandmother, thanking her for referring a young man from the community to him.

Milton also addresses the resistance of everyday Black people to Jim Crow.  As a youngster he remembers the time when there were rumors of threatened Klu Klux Klan activity in Tuskegee due to an upcoming Civil Rights mass meeting at a local church his family was planning to attend. Milton describes being shocked as he walked into their garage and witnessed his uncles cleaning pistols he never even knew they owned.

Milton became a well-respected lawyer in the environmental field. He received his law degree from the University of Minnesota. He describes his grandmother being able to attend his graduation from law school as one of the happiest days of his life.