Golden Asro Frinks Biography
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I first heard about Golden Frinks when I was in college. I never heard of him. I was surprised since he was a prominent Civil Rights leader in Eastern North Carolina. While researching other events in North Carolina, I found his name more than once.
I decided to find him and his impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Carolina. Frinks was involved in numerous demonstrations in North Carolina. My research led me to apply for an internship to do even more research on him and other people involved in the movement. He was one of many unsung heroes of that period.
Dr. Goldie Frinks Wells gave me a copy of her father's biography to prepare for my interviews and research. Dr. Wells and Dr. Crystal Sanders wrote about Frink's early life and his impact on history.
Background Life of Frinks
The first chapter reveals that Frinks was born to Mark and Kizzie Frinks on April 26, 1920, in Wampee, South Carolina. Since he was born on Sunda, his mom was inspired to name him after the golden text at the service. When he was nine years old, he moved to Tabor City, North Carolina.
Two people who influenced his life were his mother, Kizzie, and her employer, Mrs. Lewis. The two women taught him not to accept the status quo. As he got older, he dropped out of high school and joined the Armed Forces.
On his way to Norfolk, Frinks visited Ms. Lewis's daughter. Miss Harriet lived in Edenton, North Carolina.
Frink loved the town so much that he decided to stay in Edenton.
Miss Harriet found a job for him as a companion to a wealthy boy, named Greg Purden.
Frinks started in the Civil Rights Movement
He made his way to Norfolk, Virginia. He secured a job at the naval base. In Norfolk, he learned about the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. (NAACP). He became a member of the Black Democrats and met leaders of the NAACP.
Golden soon was in the Army. In the Army, he faced difficult conditions. He was able to see how Black soldiers were treated compared to the whites. His mistreatment did not make him bitter. It caused him to want to change the status quo.
When he returned home, he saw the same thing. The government and businesses mistreated Black GIs. The government denied them the right to vote and access to resources. Local businesses refused to hire Black GIs or allow them to buy goods from them. When he secured a job and training in Washington, DC, he witnessed a sit-in at his job, Waylie's Drug Store.
Frinks joined the sit-in. Mary Church Terrell led the sit-in. Terrell was the founder of the National Association of Colored Women. She was a founding member of the NAACP. On June 8, 1953, the Supreme Court ruled that segregated eating places in Washington, DC were unconstitutional.
Once back in Edenton, North Carolina, Frinks was involved in the Chowan County Branch of the NAACP. Once Frinks joined, he realized that the President of the local chapter of NAACP was hesitant to fight Jim Crow laws head-on. Frinks decided to become the father of the eastern North Carolina movement.
Dr. Martin Luther King selected him to be secretary for the local chapter of the NAACP. He saw how the leaders did not support the youths' efforts. Eleven students approached the leaders to protest their access to the theater's entrance. Black patrons could not use the entrance. They had to enter the back or side doors. Their refusal to support the children caused him to resign.
On March 4, 1960, Frinks and a group of girls led the protest at the Taylor Theater (which still stands today). The picketing was a success. Frinks decided to allow the youths to do more protests like this one.
Another event that involved the youth was the desegregated Holmes High School. One student was Jerald Perry Sr. Perry stated to his parents, "Respect for Frinks. Frink's leadership."
This respect caused him to be the leader in numerous protests throughout Eastern North Carolina. Frink helped integrate schools, movie theaters, lunch counters, and even cases where people faced imprisonment. Golden even helped a tribe of Native Americans to receive Tribal recognition.
That is what he considered the most memorable about his fight for rights.
Frinks stated that one of the most memorable things about his work in the Civil Rights Movement was the change of attitude.
"The change. Attitudinal change is one thing. Because once you have a couple of days with a community, the community begins to understand. One thing about it, in all of my movements, I tried to keep the press with me. I never tried to push the press away. So that the news would get out, whether good or bad. And I would deal with it. That . . . change... the community would change, gradually, and get closer and closer. And I remember in Fuquay-Varina, a group stood back until the next morning . . . [because] they didn’t understand... The next morning they marched out of the town with us, you see."
Conclusion:
To find out more about Golden Frink's life and the Civil Rights Movement in North Carolina, read Golden Astro Frinks: Telling the Unsung a Biography Civil Right Song: A Biography of Civil Rights Activist. This is the book written by his daughter. It gives you a glimpse into his life and the historical events he was involved in. Check out your local library for this book.
Along Freedom Road in Hyde County, North Carolina and the Fate of Black School also talks about one the hardest events Frinks was a leader in. Also, look in your local library for this book.
Sources
Cecelski, David S. 1994. Along freedom road: Hyde County, North Carolina and the fate of Black schools in the South. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Wells, Goldie F., and Crystal Sanders. 2009. Golden Asro Frinks: telling the unsung song: a biography of a civil rights activist. Salt Lake City, Utah: Aardvark Global Pub.
