By: The People’s Paper MS Staff
Growing up as the youngest of eight children in Magee, Mississippi, Rebecca Sue Armstrong learned early on what courage and determination looked like. Her childhood coincided with one of the most turbulent moments in American history: the civil rights movement of the 1960s. And even as a young girl, she found herself taking quiet but powerful steps toward change.
One particular memory that stands out for Armstrong happened when she was just eleven years old. She and her older brother often visited a café on the corner of Main Street and Highway 49.
Like most of Mississippi at that time, segregation dictated who could enter where. Black customers were expected to use the back entrance.
But one day in 1968, her brother Tymon, decided they would walk through the front door like everyone else.
“If looks could talk,” Armstrong recalls with a laugh. “No one said a word to us, but I knew something was different that day.”
They placed their order and sat down to wait for their food, quietly defying a rule that had long gone unquestioned in Magee.
At the time, she didn’t realize she was part of a historic shift. “I had no idea we were breaking color barriers,” she said. “We were just kids, but that day, we were part of the movement.”
By the 1970s, Armstrong attended Magee High School, where racial divisions still lingered.
“I ran for Most Beautiful, Homecoming Queen, and several other titles,” she remembered. “Not one Black student ever won. I was always first runner up.”
Later, she learned that other districts such as Jackson Public Schools had established a policy of electing both a Black and a white student in each category … a practice she wishes Magee had adopted.
Still, Armstrong looks back with both grace and gratitude. “Although I learned a lot about racism, through it all I had a lot of fun,” she said.
Her high school years taught her endurance, self-respect, and the power of showing up despite the odds.
These lessons would serve as her foundation for a life rooted in leadership, education, and service.
We’ll discuss those lessons on Sunday in Part II: A Legacy of Leadership – The Professional Journey of R. Sue Armstrong.
