Ken Grimball

By Danielle Campbell

     News 12 Long Island's beloved--and by all accounts most popular--journalist Ken Grimball tells GREAT stories!

Award winning, esteemed, respected, Ken Grimball has spent the more than 20 years here at News 12 Long Island telling Long Islanders like it is!

But last week, the week of the inaugural, Ken shared a different story, a personal story, a story of courage in the face of hatred, humility.

Ken, a descendant of southern slaves, shared with our viewers what happened to him when he was 17 years old.

Ken was attending High School in Charleston, South Carolina.

Ken, who grew up in New York and did not know the ways of this southern state, attempted to attend a movie at a segregated theater.

He explained, matter of factly, how he was told he could not enter the front door of the theater and that instead he must walk to the back, and enter the "colored entrance".

Ken, who felt this was a great injustice, said in a gracious and gentleman-like manner, "Well, then no thank you.  I will instead will go see this movie when I am back in New York."

As I interviewed Ken and he shared his story, it was hard, so very hard for me to believe that ANYONE, ANYWHERE would ask Ken to do such a thing.

The thought that anyone would degrade this kind, considerate, intelligent man was hard for me to digest.

Ken smiled after he shared the story with me, aware of how uncomfortable I felt, courteous not to let me feel the sharp pain he had suffered.

Comments

[John]

"Well, then no thank you. I will instead go see this movie when I am back in New York."

Wow. Talk about class!

The Civil Rights movement was, admittedly, before my time, but I can't help but think that small incidents like this are really what changed this country. It probably wasn't clashes between the oppressed (or the enlightened) and the bigots, or dramatic speeches in public places, but individuals who really did "know their place," and knew that it certainly wasn't at the side of the ignorant.