Kathy Andre-Eames
Living Legend Kathy Andre-Eames discusses her book and her life facing the racial divide in Jim Crow Louisiana with her husband George Eames, Jr. while fighting for civil equality.
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Count Time Podcast Living Legend Kathy A Eames
Selected quotes and notes from Count Time Podcast with LD Azobra Interview with Kathy Eames
Now, today we have this young lady here this dear friend of mine. So I have not seen or spoken with her in quite some time. You know, I don’t know. I don’t mean to say it like this. Let me think how I’m going to say this she’s our first lady of European descent. Can I say that like that?
KAE
That’s fine.
LD
I have Ms. Kathy Andre Eames. Welcome to Count Time
KAE
Good to be here LD
LD
Now, how did this come about? We have been knowing each other for many years. I would say at least 30, 30, 40.
KAE
Probably more like 40.
LD
It’s been a long time. Now you tell everyone how we got to know each other.
KAE
I am the widow of George Eames G. Washington Eames, who was a black paraplegic in a wheelchair for many years. He was the President of the NAACP for many years. We worked together on so many programs. Baseball, basketball, community, all kinds of community programs. Desegregating education in East Baton Rouge Parish. I even wrote a book about it. The name of it is Warrior for Justice, the George Eames Story.
LD
Look, that book. I hate to jump to this right quick, but I was a part of the process when she was writing the book. I happen to be coming back and visiting her. And when she first started telling me that her nephew had contacted her about doing a story on her and her deceased husband, George Eames. And she said, Cleveland Bailey.
KAE
My nephew Cleveland wanted to do a story on George and I.
LD
That’s probably right before George has passed, too.
KAE
Yeah, right before he passed, even after he was talking about doing the story.
LD
She said, well, please ask me to jot down some notes to help him with selling the story and have some ideas on how this thing transpired.
KAE
Let me explain what he said. He said, Kathy, I’m his great aunt. He said, Aunt Kathy. He said, this is what we need to know. This is what I’ve been wondering all my life. And a lot of other people have been wondering this, too, especially Joe Delpit. How did this little white girl born in West Baton Rouge Parish it was Point Coupee Parish actually where I was born.
How did you become who you are? You grew up around all white people, prejudiced people. How did you become somebody who was going to fight for civil rights? So I said, Cleave. I said, Let me see if I can write down a few things. I’ll see if I can figure out how to say this. But I ended up writing a whole book over 30 days, three hundred pages, and I did it in 30 days.
Thomas Durant, Jr.
April 1, 2022 @ 5:14 pm
A great story, about great people! I learned much from the interview and definitely plan to read the book. I met Mr. Eames in a casual meeting shortly after I arrived in Baton Rouge in 1973. He had a very charming, brave and disarming personality, who knew the psychology of captivating people to get things done. Indeed, he was a “warrior for justice” and civil rights.
Tom Durant