When Marsha Sherrod marched in 1968, she was 15 years old.
She joined Memphis' sanitation workers and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. as they marched for higher wages and dignity.
That cause, as well as the struggles of people she encountered in her 45 years working at Regional One Medical Center, left Sherrod with a passion for seeking justice.
Now 67, Sherrod was looking forward to marching in another life-changing event — across a stage in front of a live audience to collect her associate degree in criminal justice from Southwest Tennessee Community College.
But because of COVID 19, the virtual ceremony will have to suffice for her and others who are graduating from Memphis colleges.
On Saturday, Sherrod joined 1,544 Southwest graduates honored during the live stream ceremony. Southwest President Tracy Hall was one of the program speakers, as well as Gov. Bill Lee.
Guest speakers included University of Memphis head basketball coach Penny Hardaway, Mayor Jim Strickland and Willie Gregory, director of global community impact for Nike and chairman of the Greater Memphis Chamber of Commerce.
LeMoyne-Owen College also held its virtual graduation for 125 students Saturday on Facebook Live and YouTube Live. It included messages from alumni, local celebrities and college officials, as well as a virtual after party hosted by Memphis DJ Stan Bell.
Among the graduates, Sherrod's journey highlights her resilience and commitment to get an associate degree despite the challenges that life often presents.
Her inspiring story, and those of two other Southwest graduates, follow:
“I lived through the civil rights movement,” said Sherrod, who retired from her job as a surgical sterilization technician in 2014.
“I marched with Dr. King. I was young and it was scary, but at the same time I got a boost from thinking that I could make a difference by being out there walking and letting people know that injustice was real.”
Then years later, after a divorce, a son and a daughter and a successful career at Regional One, Sherrod decided to parlay her desire to fix the injustices that brought people to the hospital.
“I was at the Med [Regional One] in the 1980s, when they de-institutionalized and let a lot of people out of the mental health facilities who really needed help,” she said. “So, it added up to us getting an influx of those patients because they had nowhere to go…
“We became their doctor’s office…”
So, Sherrod went to Southwest, where she became a member of the Phi Theta Kappa and Alpha Sigma Lambda honor societies and was named a 2020 Outstanding Honor Student in the criminal justice program.
“I was appalled at some of the stuff I saw in the criminal justice system, like money being made off of incarceration,” said Sherrod, who also said that through her studies, she got a lesson on how tough it was for many ex-offenders to fulfill probation requirements because many of those requirements cost money that they didn't have.
Ultimately, she hopes to find a job that can put her in a position to help correct those injustices. But right now, Sherrod plans to revel in her graduation – although not in the way that she had originally planned.
“I had family who was coming in to celebrate with me, and I was supposed to go to Hawaii,” Sherrod said. “That’s all off now.
“But at the end of the day, I did get my degree.”
Joined the Army to see the world
Richard Haverstick joined the Army right after high school to see the world beyond his hometown of Ripley, Tennessee.
He saw a lot.
Haverstick went to Oklahoma for training, then to Germany, then to Afghanistan and Washington State. But when he returned to Tennessee in 2015, he decided he wanted to see something else.
He wanted to see where a college degree could take him.
“I decided to take the GI Bill and further my education,” said Haverstick, 27. “My mother is currently attending Southwest, and she recommended it, so I said, ‘I’ll go to Southwest.’”
Today, Haverstick will get a degree in paralegal studies. He hopes it will eventually take him to law school and to become a lawyer.
“I have a respect for the law, and I enjoy history, and it’s interesting where a lot of the laws originally come from,” he said.
But right now, Haverstick, who is interning with the John Dunlap Law Firm, just hopes it puts him on the path to a decent income so that he can raise his daughter, Aeris, who he has sole custody of, right.
“As every parent should, I owe it to her to try to be the best I could be, and that meant doing more than taking a minimum wage job,” he said. “So, I said I’m going to get my degree so that I can provide better for her.”
Haverstick’s college journey also had its challenges.
He and Aeris’ mother divorced after four years of marriage – and it took its toll on Haverstick financially and emotionally.
“It was hard for me all around,” Haverstick said.
But now, he and Aeris will have something to celebrate. His graduation today and her sixth birthday in 10 days.
“I just try to keep moving forward,” Haverstick said.
Seeking a career in politics
Joshua Isom said that when he receives his associate degree in general studies from Southwest today, it won’t be the last time anyone will hear of him.
The 20-year-old Whitehaven resident has his mind set on a career in politics – and he’s already set the wheels in motion for it.
He started a podcast with one of his friends at school called ‘Young Black Media,’ and volunteered on Councilwoman Patrice Robinson’s campaign. Isom has also been going to City Council meetings.
“I like politics because as a young kid I saw [President] Obama, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and a lot of positive role models,” Isom said.
Isom said he wants to run for City Council in 2024.
“As black men, we don’t have enough role models, we have rappers and athletes,” he said.
Isom has the stuff to make a difference.
Although Isom received a Tennessee Promise scholarship, he still struggled to get enough financial aid to cover his expenses. But he made it through – and will be transferring to the University of Memphis in the fall to study for a bachelor’s degree in political science.
Then, Isom said, he wants to go for a law degree – a choice that was influenced by his father, who works at Shelby County Juvenile Court, and through seeing the scores of young, African-American males who wind up in the system.
“It’s a revolving door for young black men,” Isom said. “I want to help change that.”
You can reach Tonyaa Weathersbee at 901-568-3281, tonyaa.weathersbee@commercialappeal.com or follow her on Twitter: @tonyaajw.
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