The Golden Goose

The Golden Goose was where many students ate lunch; in essence, it was a gathering place for the student body. One day, Greene was there alone, eating a hamburger and fries, when white girls from MSCW and white boys, presumably from Mississippi State, approached her:

"…They started laughing, and poking fun at, you know, why are you here, and what are you eating, and you’re just garbage, and stuff. Then they picked up a garbage can, and walked over to my table, and dumped it right on my food. And they thought it was the funniest thing they’d ever seen. And I started to walk away from it, and then the cashier informed me that I needed to clean up that mess. So I did…"

 


White Students in the Goose, circa 1966.
Mississippi University for Women Archives, Meh Lady Collection.

Laverne Greene-Leech Oral History.
Billups-Garth Archives, Columbus-Lowndes Public Library.