March Forward, Girl: Chapters 3–10

by Melba Pattillo Beals
In 1957, Melba Pattillo Beals was one of nine African-American students who integrated Little Rock Central High School, an experience she discusses in her celebrated memoir Warriors Don't Cry. In this follow-up, she recounts growing up in the South under oppressive Jim Crow laws.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Preface–Chapter 2, Chapters 3–10, Chapters 11–17, Chapter 18–Epilogue

Here is a link to Warriors Don't Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. curtsy
    bend the knees in a gesture of respectful greeting
    I hated how Grandma curtsied and stepped backwards when this happened.
  2. painstaking
    characterized by extreme care and great effort
    She painstakingly took the time to show me how to write the alphabet that would spell out those words.
  3. stingy
    unwilling to spend
    We need not claim anything and be stingy with it.
  4. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    It never failed that Mother lectured me about what she called “public decorum": Don't be loud and brassy, check your clothes for cleanliness, and for certain don't step in front of a white person or speak to one without being spoken to first.
  5. conduct
    behave in a certain manner
    I could see clearly how it controlled the way our community in Little Rock conducted itself.
  6. adjoin
    lie next to another or share a boundary
    Mother and Grandmother sometimes took me to churches in adjoining towns for the weekday twilight services.
  7. revival
    an evangelistic meeting to reawaken interest in religion
    There would be Bible revivals and visiting preachers and good food.
  8. sermon
    an address of a religious nature
    On most evenings, my little brother, Conrad, who was by now age three, and I, at age five, sat around churches whispering to each other, playing with our paper dolls, and coloring in books with our crayons during a sermon that often got louder and louder, until I felt the urge to hold my ears.
  9. loom
    hang over, as of something threatening, dark, or menacing
    They also shared all the possible dangers that loomed in the air because somebody had said or done something that should not have been said or done.
  10. infraction
    a violation of a law or rule
    In our community, if the Klan let it be known they were looking to hang a man for an infraction, my father—along with a group of our men with special skills and armed with weapons—would work to rescue them and give them food and transportation to help them escape.
  11. vital
    urgently needed; absolutely necessary
    Information was provided that was vital to our survival or necessary for maintaining our home.
  12. domestic
    of or relating to the home
    During the week, the church would act as a school that taught women who wanted a domestic job the skills they needed.
  13. console
    give moral or emotional strength to
    The minister would conduct services and console the family.
  14. usher
    someone employed to conduct others
    My fear exploded, though, just as Grandma and I were being seated by the usher.
  15. pulpit
    a platform raised to give prominence to the person on it
    Then I heard the boots of the men walking down the aisle of the church toward the pulpit.
  16. scuffle
    an unceremonious and disorganized struggle
    Some of them might be hurt in the scuffle with the Klan, but not all of them.
  17. initiate
    set in motion, start an event or prepare the way for
    Every time we went to town or any place where there were white people, it initiated her urgent voice with instructions to me.
  18. anguish
    extreme mental distress
    Despite the anguish of that risk-taking move, I continued to believe I deserved to be treated equally.
  19. exasperated
    greatly annoyed; out of patience
    Grandma said, “There are no returns for us. As I told you, never look at anything in the stores that you are not going to pay for." Her voice was exasperated.
  20. vulnerability
    susceptibility to injury or attack
    Proof positive of our vulnerability would come when I observed white people saying insulting things to Papa, Mama, and Grandma.
  21. covet
    wish, long, or crave for
    Every Sunday after church we would go for a ride in the school neighborhoods I coveted and daydreamed about.
  22. exquisite
    lavishly elegant and refined
    Rumor had it that they had furnished the school exquisitely and the students and teachers had access to electronic typewriters.
  23. dingy
    gloomy or depressing
    There was nothing in that dingy room to play with, and Brother’s face was beginning to cloud with sadness.
  24. notion
    an odd or fanciful or capricious idea
    I smiled as I thought of a time far in the future when I might be able to let go of my notion of collecting all the WHITE ONLY signs, putting them in a large pile, and setting them on fire.
  25. shabby
    showing signs of wear and tear
    Still, I never got over the shabby waiting room and the long wait I had to endure before seeing him.
  26. endure
    undergo or be subjected to
    Still, I never got over the shabby waiting room and the long wait I had to endure before seeing him.
  27. objective
    the goal intended to be attained
    Her objective at first was not to educate me especially for first grade, but to slow me down during the day and to keep me from coughing all night.
  28. agility
    the gracefulness of a quick and nimble person or animal
    He was the one who had the strength, agility, and knowledge to get them safe passage out of town.
  29. frantically
    in an uncontrolled manner
    Instead she had grabbed the radio and frantically worked to adjust it so we could hear what was going on.
  30. apt
    naturally disposed toward
    The policemen are more apt to rescue us up there.
  31. shenanigan
    reckless or malicious behavior that causes annoyance
    I never gave up totally on being free and being equal, but rather each time white folks' shenanigans made me crazy, I tried to ignore that feeling and tuck it in the back of my mind.
  32. exclusive
    admitting or accepting only a particular group
    I remained an outsider, with just a small handful of friends, never invited to join the popular party kids in their very exclusive groups.
  33. porter
    a railroad employee who assists passengers
    The porters brought us food from the dining car because we couldn’t go through the white-occupied cars to the dining room.
  34. sear
    burn slightly and superficially so as to affect color
    It seared my heart and soul when we had to go back to Little Rock again.
  35. dreary
    lacking in liveliness or charm or surprise
    We had our own exit door from the train, no porters to help us, as they were busy with the white passengers, and once again the separate, dreary waiting room to go through as we left the station.
Created on Fri Feb 08 15:23:53 EST 2019 (updated Mon Feb 11 14:55:05 EST 2019)

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