David Caldwell Jr. - 7th Grade (clip)

Blanche Brown (BB): So you only spent about a year in Phillips?

David Caldwell, Jr. (DC): Last three years.

BB: Three years, so that was all of middle school, basically?

DC: Mhm.

BB: Okay, where was that? Is it still– is it still a school?

DC: It’s still up Estes drive.

BB: Okay, up Estes, okay, I’ve driven past that. And then what was it like going from– were you one of the few Black students there for the remainder of the three years or was there–?

DC: No no no, the seventh grade– Actually I failed the seventh grade, my teacher told my mom said, “His grades are good enough to pass, but he'll be much better if he repeats everything and retains it.” And the choice was– I told my mom, “Let me know what you wanna do.” And she gave me the choice, “You can be promoted or you can stay back and learn.” I said, “I’d rather stay back and learn,” cause I was that far behind. And it was so– so I went through the seventh grade twice and then the next year, the seventh grade, all my buddies from Northside came and the majority of them ended up failing the seventh grade that year and going on to the eighth grade. But then, I was sitting in class and I understood what they were talking about, I mean so it was really a good choice.

BB: Okay.

DC: To sit there, to know seeing things, and [be like] I know how to do that. And as a result –you had your 7A, 7B, 7C, 7D depending on how good your work was– and over half of my class had got moved from 7D class to 7A class. So then it went on, it went on to eighth grade. I was the fat kid, last one to make it in all the sports in gym class, last one chosen, had no idea about any of these games or things they were doing.

BB: Aww.

DC: Came back the next year, I understood what basketball was, how to play football, the rules, you know, volleyball and all these things. And I lost some weight, so that year was great.