Jason Futch
reporter@riverbendnews.org
The year was 1962. Just a few years before the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, a man named Sistrunk and his wife, who owned a business in White Springs, told Jeanette Udell that she could register to vote in Hamilton County.
“[Sistrunk’s] wife had asked me if I knew I could, and I said no,” Udell said. “She told me, ‘Come on, I’ll take you down there.’”
Barney’s Drug Store was the only place in White Springs where residents could register to vote without making the drive to Jasper. It was there that Udell did what many at the time considered unthinkable, as Black citizens were still fighting for their rightful place at the ballot box.
Later that day, she told her husband, Lawrence, about her bold step. Following her lead, he registered as well, and together they became the first and second Black residents of White Springs to register to vote.
When asked how she felt when she registered, Udell said there really wasn’t a feeling at the time.
“I just voted and went back home,” she said.
While Udell didn’t have issues registering to vote or casting her ballot, other Black men and women faced backlash in other parts of the state and nation. In some states, such as Alabama, there were obstructions placed in the way of Black individuals as they attempted to register to vote. Poll taxes and literacy tests were used to determine who was eligible to vote. In Dallas County, Ala., Black residents were subjected to a “jelly bean test,” in which those who wanted to vote had to guess correctly how many jelly beans were in the jar.
Events such as these led to civil rights protests, such as the Selma-to-Montgomery march. The first march led to civil unrest, resulting in what historians call “Bloody Sunday,” as demonstrators were beaten on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala. Months later, the Voting Rights Act of 1965 was passed, providing equal access to the voting booth, outlawing poll taxes and literacy tests.
While she didn’t recognize the significance then, Udell didn’t take her duty lightly when deciding who would lead Florida as governor or the nation as president. Since her first vote, Udell has not missed an election. With the exception of casting an absentee ballot due to being hospitalized, she has made the trek to the White Springs Public Library — designated by the Hamilton County Supervisor of Elections as Precinct 3 — to cast her ballot.
Not only did she make historic strides in White Springs as the first Black voter to register, but she also worked with her husband as a poll worker for many years.
Udell was born on Nov. 24, 1931, to Wash and Sarah Newsome in the Swift Creek community of White Springs. She recalled walking to school as a child and attending the local schools in White Springs, graduating from Carver High School in 1951.
Udell had plans of attending school in Tampa, but the loss of her father led her to remain in White Springs to be closer to her mother. She later became a teacher’s aide at the Hamilton County Senior Center, where she continues to be involved.
In 1953, she married her husband, who later opened the first Black-owned business in White Springs, a garage. He also taught auto mechanics for the Hamilton County School District. Being good stewards of the town, they were part of local events and clubs and members of Sweet Home Missionary Baptist Church.
Because of Udell’s civic pride and passion for public service, the seeds she planted in 1962 grew into a lasting family legacy of leadership. Of her 10 children, two of her daughters, Coretta and Vicky, served on the White Springs Town Council, while her son, Ivan, served in the United States Army and was a candidate for White Springs town manager last year.
Udell said that, looking back on her first time at the ballot box, she didn’t realize its significance, but in recent years she has come to see it as a moment she hopes can inspire others. She added that those who choose not to vote or not take elections seriously will have to live with how others voted.
“You have to accept what happens,” Udell said. “Some people don’t make an effort to make a difference.”
Despite having to cast an absentee ballot once due to being hospitalized following an injury, she said she always made it a point to vote.
“I have a right to complain if I vote,” Udell said. “But if I don’t vote and it doesn't go right, then I gotta keep my mouth shut.”
Udell hopes her story will inspire others to vote and take part in the civic process. Udell will share her story further at an upcoming event at the White Springs
Public Library on Monday, Feb. 23, at 2 p.m. The library is located at 16403 Jewett St.