Civic Leaders and Civil Rights Activists
Side 1
Lucille and Charlie (d. 2/7/78) Times were married on February 3, 1939. Shortly after, the Times' joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Mr. Times received several medals and a Commendation for his service in the Army Air Corp during World War II. The Times' became registered voters in 1942. In 1948, Mrs. Times' father purchased this house as a wedding gift for the couple.
When the NAACP was outlawed in Alabama in the 1950s, the Times' hosted NAACP meetings in their home. The Times' were also members of the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA) and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
According to Mrs. Times, on June 15, 1955, six months before Rosa Parks was arrested, she had a confrontation with a white bus driver who tried to run her car off the road. She argued with the bus driver who called the police, but Mrs. Times was not arrested. After that, she started boycotting the buses by driving by bus stops to pick up waiting black passengers. When the official boycott began on December 5, 1955, the Times' continued providing rides to individuals in need.
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Side 2
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The Times' owned and operated Times' Café from 1952-1984. The café, a concrete block building located across from the house on Holt Street, was affectionately called "Sugar Hill" and was a hub of activity during the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1965, the Times' participated in the Selma to Montgomery Voting Rights March and opened their home to 18 activists from around the country of all races during and after the march. The Times' were charter members of many organizations and clubs.
Mrs. Times has received numerous awards for the couples' civil rights activism including the Drum Major for Justice Award. Mrs. Times also received the Senior of Alabama Award from the Montgomery Area Council on Aging. A part of her personal collection is housed in the H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College Archives in Montgomery.
The house was listed in the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage in 2007.
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