Carolyn Fuller

Carolyn has been living in Cambridge, Massachusetts since 1968 after she dropped out of Birmingham Southern and left in search of a new life outside of the Deep South. She eventually went back to school and received her BA from the University of Massachusetts and her EdM from Harvard. She has been retired from a 33-year career as a computer programmer at M.I.T. since 2018. Since then, she has been actively involved in both national and local electoral politics. Locally, her involvement has been with the political arm of A Better Cambridge, which has been successful in electing a super majority of pro-housing Cambridge City Councilors in 3 consecutive election cycles.

I can still see that moment, 63 years later

One day of 1963 that stands out for me is the moment I heard that 4 girls were blown up in the 16th Street Baptist Church. I knew one of them. We attended the Friendship and Action events together – in a group formed to bring together Black and white families in spite of Jim Crow segregation.

I can still see that moment, 63 years later. I was standing in front of our dining room table, staring out the window into our backyard. This was the table I slept under with a pillow on top of me so that if any of the bomb threats my family was receiving actually materialized, I wouldn’t be impaled by the glass from that window.

I live with survivor’s guilt.

Menu

Carolyn Fuller

I can still see that moment, 63 years later

Storytellers

Sign up for our mailing list to see new stories as they are posted

Menu