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THE RIDER TIMES

SPRING 2010

Page 9

CELEBRATING BLACK HISTORY BEFORE OBAMA


The Charles Gittens Story: America's lst Black Secret Service Agent
By Diara Rowland Staff Writer lessons regularly. Mr. Gittens had always wanted to join the military. He became intrigued with the idea when he --saw all of the attention the \VWII veterans received after they returned home. "I wanted to be in the front and be seen," Mr. Gittens recalls. When he finally turned seventeen, and graduated from high school he was of age to join the military. Mr. Gittens was finally ahle to set out to do wbat he had always wanted to do. When he first joined the military he was immediately sent to Japan where he stayed for three years. Mr. Gittens admits that he was very fortunate in his military career. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant before he turned 19. The fust place Gittens was sent as a sergeant was North Carolina. He was assigned as the commanding r;;:::;::,;;:::::::::::::;<;;:::;:;::::::;:::::::;:;:;:::;;:;;:=-::;;:::=:::::; officer of the Military Police for Attachment Two. Attachment Two was the code name for an African American soldiers unit. Mr. Gittens said that L In 1965, NBC aired a popular and historic television program entitled I Spy, which was about a white and black secret agent team that traveled around the world clandestinely battling evil powers in the name of democracy. The show was historic because during the 1960's there were very few black actors on television and those that were, were usually portrayed negatively. In this show Alexander Scott, played by actor Bill Cosby, was a Rhode Scholar, a language expert, and quickly became the star of the show! Little did we know that there was a real Alexander Scott in our government who was highly intelligent, respected, ahead of his time, and rose to positions of power in the United States Secret Service. His name is Charles Gittens and he was the first black secret service agent in the United States and is the father of our own faculty member, Ms. Sharon Quick. Many black Americans bave made significant contributions to the development of this country, but too often these accomplishments go unrecognized or hidden. One of the most memorable moments that will live on inside every man, woman and child took place on November 4, 2009 when Senator Barak Obama went down in history as the first black man to become President of the United States of America. This election stood as a monumental achievement to all black people that their prolonged struggle to be seen, heard, and counted bad finally ended. But who paved the way for his success? There are numerous Black Americans who have stood up for change, but too few are recognized. In this article I would like to acknowledge a very important man who has contributed to the success of many hlack leaders like the people I listed above. He has also made great leaps and has shown great wisdom through a time period where acceptance and understanding was far from his grasps. He is a man that many have not recognized as a great leader. This man, Charles L. Gittens was the first black secret service agent in the United States. This great honor and achievement was made in a time of uncertainty and segregation when black men were not given positions of distinction. His contribution has made a difference in how black men serve their country. Mr. Gitten's story has been left as a legacy of new beginnings and achievement. Charles Gittens was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to a West Indian family that migrated from Barbados. He was born into a household with seven other siblings. Mr. Gittens and his siblings enjoyed music and took music "Attachment Two designated the racial make up of the military" Harry Truman, who was president at the end ofWWll, did away with segregation by implementing an executive order, which integrated the military over night. Mr. Gittens went from being the Commander of Military Attachment Two to an Executive Officer in the base police which included white soldiers. In this position, Mr. Gitten became the second in command of the whole attachment. Hearing of the college background and experiences of his fellow soldiers Mr. Gittens decided to take some college courses. In college is where he found his wife Sharon. Sharon's parents came from a long line of teachers and they influenced him to get a degree in English. As soon as he came out of college he was introduced to his first real teaching job. During his tenure as a teacher, a recruiter from the Secret Service went to observe Mr. Gittens. Mr. Gittens was very interested in law enforcement. The Secret Service became aware of bis interest after he took a generallaw enforcement examination. "They thought 1 was white because of my accent," Gittens admits. It was here that Mr. Gittens would embark on ajourney that would change the minds and stereotypes people had against African-Americans. Mr. Gitten served under six different Presidents from the time he was an agent to his retirement. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president he served under and President Jimmy Carter was the last. In between, Mr. Gitten served under John F. Kermedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and Gerald Ford. Mr. Gittens seemed just as upbeat and vibrant today as he was twenty years ago. He forever changed 1956 and is still a very active member of the United States Secret Service (USSC). Mr. Gittens played a vital role in the acceptance of black men in the military. He was not just the first black secret service agent, but also was influential in recruiting the first black women into the United States Secret Service (USSC). We have bad black role models and leaders in our time that bave been overlooked and over cited because of the color of their skin. It is time for a change. Mr. Gittens should be celebrated and honored as Obama is today because like Obama he was the First to not only take that first big step, but was able to successfully achieve the goal.

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Courtesy of Ebony Magazine

Special Agent in Charge (SAlC) Charles Gittens sharpens his marksmanship skills at Beltsville Training CeDte~ in 1975.

Courtesy of Ebony Magazine

SAlC Gitten handles conftscated counterftt money at the Washington Field Offlce (WFO-USSS).

PLAY REVIEW
Rider students view play In the Red and Brown Water at the Studio Theatre
By Angela Johnson Guest Writer The play In the Red atul. Brown Water by Tarell Alvin McCraney was a very interesting play. It tells the story of Oya, a young black girl from a poor family. Oya can run like the wind, hut she renounces the chance of an athletics scholarship Ito college after her mother falls terminally ill. The play was something new and different. I like how the actors said their stage directions when entering a room. Another thing I enjoyed was how the actors played many different characters. The play was also something that many of us young people could understand or relate to. Many plays we see at other theatres are always talking in language we really don't get, but this was a play that spoke our language. For example, the play talked about how Oya was hot for Sbango, the gny who treated her badly, and r can relate to this because most girls my age today, including me, love guys like that for some reason. As for when we have guys like Ogun, the guy who treated Oya with the utmost respect, they get pushed to the side because we don't see them as being tough. The play was probably one of my favorite plays ever. I would rate this playas a FIVE STAR and I ber many 0 my peers would too.

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