Beaches, Blood, and Ballots by Gilbert R. Mason, M.D.
Chapter Three: Going Home to Serve
This chapter relates the period that Dr. Gilbert R. Mason began his long and arduous journey through the Civil Rights movement and the start of his contributions to that movement. While finishing his internship in St. Louis in 1945, Dr. Mason was made aware of an opportunity to purchase a practice from a doctor that was moving away from Biloxi, Mississippi. Dr. Velma Wesley, a practicing female physician, was moving to be with her husband who was attending medical school in Detroit and was selling her Biloxi practice, along with equipment. Choosing to buy the equipment but not her practice, stating, “I’ll earn a practice, if I merit one.” After finishing …show more content…
Dr. Mason’s dignity and willingness to forge head on in the face of racism and discrimination while the blatant evidence of these heinous insults was on full display. In 1959, at the Coast Counties Medical Society meeting at the Biloxi Yacht Club, Dr. Mason awaited the scientific session to begin, the executive committee informed him the speaker, the Republican candidate for governor, Rubel Phillips would not speak to an integrated audience. (Mason 40) Dr. Mason protested to no avail, having four white members of the committee stand by him in protest did nothing to sway the bigotry. This was a verification to the fact that although you stand against a veritable army of oppositional and evil men, there are good men that will stand with you and face retaliations because it is the right thing to do. Even after this humiliation, Dr. Mason persisted in attending the scientific meetings of the organization until March of 1966, he and another black doctor were inducted “into the formerly all-white Coast Counties Medical Society as a full voting member.” (Mason 41) Dr. Gilbert R. Mason dedicated his life to what he called “three guiding goals” for his medical practice: healthy babies, healthy mothers and good housing for his babies and mothers. He wanted to reduce the infant mortality rates. He worked towards that goal tirelessly against all obstacles, and accomplished so
Chapter Three: Going Home to Serve
This chapter relates the period that Dr. Gilbert R. Mason began his long and arduous journey through the Civil Rights movement and the start of his contributions to that movement. While finishing his internship in St. Louis in 1945, Dr. Mason was made aware of an opportunity to purchase a practice from a doctor that was moving away from Biloxi, Mississippi. Dr. Velma Wesley, a practicing female physician, was moving to be with her husband who was attending medical school in Detroit and was selling her Biloxi practice, along with equipment. Choosing to buy the equipment but not her practice, stating, “I’ll earn a practice, if I merit one.” After finishing …show more content…
Dr. Mason’s dignity and willingness to forge head on in the face of racism and discrimination while the blatant evidence of these heinous insults was on full display. In 1959, at the Coast Counties Medical Society meeting at the Biloxi Yacht Club, Dr. Mason awaited the scientific session to begin, the executive committee informed him the speaker, the Republican candidate for governor, Rubel Phillips would not speak to an integrated audience. (Mason 40) Dr. Mason protested to no avail, having four white members of the committee stand by him in protest did nothing to sway the bigotry. This was a verification to the fact that although you stand against a veritable army of oppositional and evil men, there are good men that will stand with you and face retaliations because it is the right thing to do. Even after this humiliation, Dr. Mason persisted in attending the scientific meetings of the organization until March of 1966, he and another black doctor were inducted “into the formerly all-white Coast Counties Medical Society as a full voting member.” (Mason 41) Dr. Gilbert R. Mason dedicated his life to what he called “three guiding goals” for his medical practice: healthy babies, healthy mothers and good housing for his babies and mothers. He wanted to reduce the infant mortality rates. He worked towards that goal tirelessly against all obstacles, and accomplished so