was a tradition for them to request their payments in cash at the conclusion of the program. They musicians and performers were forced to guard their earnings with their dear life. They often their money in their shoes or undergarments. Living conditions during Mahalia?s time were difficult and due to the circumstances listed above, she often found herself sleeping in her car alongside the road. Police rarely ever showed respect towards anyone of color. Racism flew like mad. (1) In 1955, Rosa Parks, a seamstress from Montgomery, Alabama, boarded the bus as usual but proceeded to take the first available seat in the front section, which by law was reserved for whites. When asked to, Rosa refused to give up her seat and she was arrested and briefly jailed. In 1956 Mahalia was visited by Reverend Ralph Abernathy, a colleague of Martin Luther Kings. Reverend Abernathy explained that the St. John A.M.E. Church in Montgomery was planning on honoring Ms. Parks and they wanted Mahalia to participate by playing a bracing musical interlude. She agreed and was a huge success. In 1957, Mahalia had saved enough money to purchase of home of her very own. She bought a single level house with a small garage in Indiana Avenue, which was mostly a white neighborhood in the South Side of Chicago. Unfortunately with her choice of locations, Mahalia faced severe discrimination once again. An unidentified person fired air-rifle pellets into her front wind...
