“She was diminutive in size, but she was so brave and humble. She was great!” Sis. McIntyre said, describing her mother. Mary Ann McNeil Walker wanted more for her children than the life that she had as a laundry presser. She gave Sis. McIntyre and her siblings this advice: “Do the best you can. Don’t look to the right or the left; just keep focus.” And although they lived
in a segregated town, Mrs. Walker developed a friendship with a white lady for whom she did laundry. She also took her children to sing in white schools and churches. As a result, Sis. McIntyre and her siblings felt confident and secure, even though the law restricted them to riding in the back of the bus, using colored water fountains, and standing to eat meals at food counters where whites were allowed to sit.

“We did not develop any fear or inferior feeling toward those of other races,” said Sis. McIntyre. “I didn’t have any fear of other races because of the way I was raised.” Her mother also taught them to put their faith in God, and Sis. McIntyre said that Philippians 3:13-14 has helped her navigate the changes in her life. It reads, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

She completed high school at age seventeen and had no money to attend college. Through work study and an unknown benefactor, God made a way for her to obtain a Bachelor of Science degree at Fayetteville State Teacher’s College. As she pressed on, she worked and was able to pay for her studies and attained a Master of Arts degree in Curriculum and Teaching from Columbia University. Years later, while she and her husband were living in New Jersey and she was working in New York, God provided a scholarship for her to earn a Master’s degree in Social Work from Rutgers
University.

 

In many situations, she found herself to be a racial minority, yet her mother’s teaching and her faith in
God helped her to excel. She also had the support of a loving husband and her extended family who took care of her son, Randolph “Randy” McIntyre, Jr. while she studied. Her family remains close knit today.

 

On the night of the election, Sis. McIntyre watched the election results at home with her husband. “I just kept hoping so strongly and saying a little prayer: Let him win. And when he did, it happened so fast, it was joyfully mind boggling.” President-elect Barack Obama’s victory sparked another personal celebration for Sis. McIntyre, like the one she felt when the American government outlawed segregation and she no longer had to ride in the back of the bus. “We should head toward a color blind nation,” said Sis. McIntyre. “We want to get to the place where we support each other equally… Should the trend continue, it can only get better.” 
 
Historical Note: Power of a praying grandparent
 
On the day I interviewed Sis. Edith McIntyre, she awoke at 2 a.m. to pray. She remained in prayer, meditation, and Bible reading for about four hours that morning. While this practice of praying long before the Lord may not be unique to black grandparents, it seems that this continual prayer
sustained our ancestors, and helped them overcome slavery, segregation, and other acts of
discrimination. As a child, I shared a bedroom with my grandmother. I remember asking her why she prayed so long. She prayed about everything and for everyone. Another senior citizen whom I’ve  adopted as an uncle habitually rose at 3 a.m. to pray through until daylight. Another grandmother, who is a mother of six grown children, rises at 3 a.m. to read her Bible and pray. For many of these prayer warriors, praying and Bible reading go hand in hand. On November 21, 2008, Pastor James Moore, Sr. led Second Baptist Church in an all night prayer session, from midnight to 6 a.m. Many of the congregants who endured through the night were senior citizens.

Prayer point: Sis. Edith McIntyre uses Psalm 101 to guide her in praying for President-elect Barack Obama. She obtained this prayer guide from a booklet that wascompiled by former Second Baptist Church member Carlene Pierce. It was prepared for Brighter Hope Christian Fellowship in Clayton, North Carolina. The guide suggests that people pray each verse in the following manner: “Father God, I pray for our president that he loves and practices mercy and justice, praises and adores God (verse 1); acts wisely, lives a life of integrity both in public and in private, senses and knows the presence of God in his life (2); hates evil, will not tolerate compromise in his life or in those who surround him (3); keeps his heart right with God and man, repents of sin and fights against it (4); hates and avoids pride, evil talk, and slander (5); appoints blameless and efficient men and women to positions of authority (6); maintains blameless and godly standard (7); labors with all strength to eradicate wrongdoing, immoral laws, and to build a righteous foundation for the nation (8); I pray that lies and deceit are
unacceptable to him (7)--in Jesus’ name. Amen.”