Rosemary Pope, a longtime community leader in southeastern San Diego, was born in 1945 and raised in Macon, Ga., when public facilities were separated by race under Jim Crow laws.
“There were many ‘Whites Only’ signs,” she recalled. “We used separate water fountains and sat in the back of buses. My schools were segregated, first grade to high school.
“My father was active in the civil rights movement. I was about 7 or 8 when I saw a cross burning on our lawn, which was scary. We stayed to ourselves, our Black neighborhood. We didn’t go to restaurants. We had church potlucks.”
Pope was the youngest of five children. Her father was a laborer working multiple jobs. Her mother took in laundry while caring for the children.
Rosemary Pope, with the two palms outside George Stevens Senior Center. (Jan Goldsmith)
Her parents protected the kids and instilled values aimed at preparing them to succeed, despite Jim Crow Georgia.
She recalled her parents telling them: “You overcome it by what’s up here. They can’t take that from you. That’s why you get education. Less than your best is failure.”
They imparted in the children a resilience and wisdom they called “mother wit.”
“Mother wit, education and religion are what sustained me and how I dealt with Jim Crow,” Pope said. “I was an excellent student and learned, as the Bible says, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
In 1964 at age 19, she left Georgia and followed her sister to San Diego, where she attended City College and earned an associate’s degree.
By 1974, she was a divorced parent raising two young children. She returned to college at San Diego State while working several jobs to support the family. In 1976, she earned a bachelor’s in sociology and became a social worker at Neighborhood House and later other organizations. Her focus was on guiding seniors and low-income families. She also taught several community college courses, which she continued for 37 years.
In 1989, she began working part time for Dr. Charlie Johnson, helping guide his senior patients on non-medical issues. Johnson provided office space for the service, but they outgrew it as the number of patients needing help increased. In 1995, it was relocated to the Jackie Robinson YMCA and named Fourth District Seniors Resource Center.
Three years later, Pope became the center’s director and had a vision.
“I wanted a place where seniors could come and get food, services, nutrition programs and information, but also with music, dancing, colors, lighting and decorations,” she said. “I wanted to dispel myths about seniors. It wouldn’t smell like Bengay.”
And she wanted to construct a separate senior center building where programs and services would be in one place.
“I talked with [then San Diego Councilman] Rev. George Stevens and he said, ‘Sister Pope, we don’t have money for constructing a new building,’” she recalled. “’But we do have faith’ and he began popping like a bean. He helped us get the money.”
The George Stevens Senior Center on South 65th Street was completed in early 2006.
“We were told we could move in, but there was no money to run it. No salaries. Nothing,” Pope said. “I’ve been here over 19 years and the people who said I wouldn’t last three months? They’re gone. But I’m still here!
“We realized a dream. We did it through donations, grants … and mother wit.”
Today the center is a prominent hub of activities bringing much-needed services and programs to a community often left out.
Pope, now 80, is in her 27th year as the center’s director and still holds dear the values her parents instilled.
Those values were passed down to Pope’s children, Charos and Charles, and her grandchildren, Joseph and Zion Isiah, all of whom graduated college and achieved success. Her late son, Charles Lewis III , was a San Diego city councilman.
Shortly after the center’s construction, Pope had two palm trees planted in front to make a statement. “They bend in the wind but won’t break,” she said. “Resilience. That’s what the palm trees signify.”
About this series
Goldsmith is a Union-Tribune contributing columnist.
We welcome reader suggestions of people who have done something extraordinary or otherwise educational, inspiring or interesting and who have not received much previous media. Please send suggestions to Jan Goldsmith at jgsandiego@yahoo.com