Samaria (Mitcham) Bailey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Samaria (Mitcham) Bailey
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| Born |
Samaria R. Mitcham
June 29, 1947 Macon, Georgia, U.S.
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| Spouse(s) | Alphonso Bailey |
| Children | 4, including Joycine Guerra, Alexis Bailey, Kimberly Johnson, and Alyse Bailey |
| Parent(s) | Wilbur Mitcham and Annie Mae Leonard |
Samaria (Mitcham) Bailey is an important African-American woman. She played a big part in the civil rights movement. This movement worked for equal rights for all people. Samaria helped end segregation at A. L. Miller Senior High School. This school in Macon, Georgia was only for white girls before. She was also one of the first Black women to attend Mercer University. Samaria later became a talented pianist. Her life story was even made into a popular book and a play.
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Samaria Bailey's Early Life
Samaria went to a school that was mainly for Black students. This school allowed both boys and girls to attend.
Breaking Barriers at Miller High School
I wanted to see if I was really as smart as they said I was.
Samaria was one of the only non-white students at Miller High. Even so, she was known as a smart and good young woman. She graduated from the school with honors.
Helping Students with Tutoring
Because of Samaria's experiences, a program was improved. This program helped students with tutoring. They even brought in students from places like UCLA to help teach. The next summer, in 1965, almost 100 students joined the tutoring program.
Desegregating Mercer University
Samaria was then accepted into Mercer University. She was the first African American woman to attend this university. At Mercer, Samaria still faced mean comments from other students. Most students ignored her and avoided looking at her. Some professors even treated her like she wasn't there.
In her chemistry class, she was the only girl. The professor had to make another student be her lab partner. But this unfair treatment did not stop Samaria from continuing her education. She once said, "I've never been a quitter."
While at Mercer, Samaria kept playing the piano. She was offered contracts to record music with several companies. However, she turned them down to keep studying and finish her education.
Samaria Bailey's Later Life and Career
After graduating from college, Bailey started a company. It was called Med-Tech Service. This company focused on medical technologies. Med-Tech Service hired about forty to fifty people. They provided nurses, technicians, and other healthcare workers. These workers helped people all over the Macon area.
Samaria has explained her beliefs. She said, "I was never a separatist. I was never a black militant. I just always wanted to get the job done." In fact, ninety percent of her employees were white. As of 2014, Samaria Bailey lived with her husband in Macon, Georgia.
