Militant Mothers
Around 1971 at Keefer and Campbell Avenue, there are railway tracks that separate the Raymur housing project and Seymour Elementary School. Each school day, the kids from Raymur housing would have to cross the railway tracks to get to the elementary school. It was a short 2 block walk to the east to their school but their was just one problem, the trains. When the kids would reach the tracks they would have to cross the tracks by dodging trains and trying to not get hurt. As the school year went on, a group of mothers from Raymur including Caroline Jerome, asked the city hall to build a walk path for the kids to walk so they could be safe and not get injured. The mothers were hoping to get a response but the City hall did not respond after letters, petitions, phone calls for months. One day they decided to take action and go to the railway station. They started talking to the train operators and they said that the train will not operate when the kids are going to school and when they are coming back, but the mothers were wise and knew that the promises would be broken because the mothers were not first priority. Surely after, the mother knew that they would have to take action since they would not listen had become militant and occupied the train tracks so they trains would not be able to keep going once they reached the mothers. After these actions the mothers were brought to court and battled with the train conductors and after time passed by, the court favoured the mothers and Caroline. At 1972, a new school year approached with a new pathway was made linking Raymur Housing and Seymour Elementary which still stands today.
Written and posted by V.P.
Written and posted by V.P.