ANN CURRY: A NEW YORKER RAISED IN PRIVILEGE WHO CAME FACE TO FACE WITH RACIAL HATRED IN THE SOUTH... WE HAD HAD SOMEBODY SHOOT INTO THE HOUSE.

THELMA WAS STANDING WITH HER RIFLE.

CURRY: NOW SEARCHING FOR THE YOUNG SOUTHERN GIRL WHO PROTECTED AND INSPIRED HER... WOMAN: I NEVER GOT TO LET THELMA KNOW, "THANK YOU."

CURRY: AND IN THE RACIAL VIOLENCE IN ALABAMA, A SHELTERED CALIFORNIA GIRL FOUND HER PURPOSE.

THAT'S WHERE I DISCOVERED WHAT IT WAS I WAS WILLING TO DIE FOR.

CURRY: SHE WOULD SEE HER FRIEND BRUTALLY BEATEN IN A RACIST ATTACK.

NOW SHE WANTS TO REVISIT HER PAST.

WOMAN: I WANT TO FIND LEFTY BECAUSE HE DEFINITELY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN ME.

CHARLIE PUTH: ♪ WE'VE COME A LONG WAY FROM WHERE WE BEGAN ♪ CURRY: THE TIDES OF HISTORY HAVE THROWN STRANGERS TOGETHER... PUTH: ♪ OH, I'LL TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ CURRY: AND TORN LOVED ONES APART.

PUTH: ♪ WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ CURRY: NOW THE SEARCH IS ON... WE'RE GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER.

OH, HOW YOU DOING?

OH... CURRY: TO BRING THEM TOGETHER AGAIN.

LOOK AT YOU.

I NEED A REAL HUG.

PUTH: ♪ WHEN I SEE YOU AGAIN ♪ WHILE THE U.S. CONSTITUTION VOWS ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL, AFRICAN AMERICANS HAVE BEEN FIGHTING FOR CENTURIES TO BE INCLUDED IN THAT PROMISE.

WHEN TWO WOMEN FROM VERY DIFFERENT WORLDS JOURNEYED SOUTH TO JOIN THE STRUGGLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE 1960s, LITTLE DID THEY KNOW, THE VERY PEOPLE THEY WERE FIGHTING FOR WOULD END UP CHANGING THEIR LIVES FOREVER.

TEENAGERS FATIMA CORTEZ-TODD AND SHERIE LABEDIS WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

FATIMA'S STORY STARTS IN NEW YORK.

CORTEZ-TODD: THAT'S ME.

CURRY: THERE YOU ARE.

LOOK AT YOU.

I KNOW.

OH, LOOK AT YOU.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FATIMA WAS BORN IN 1945, THE ONLY CHILD OF A MIXED-RACE FAMILY.

HER MOTHER WAS NATIVE AND AFRICAN AMERICAN, AND HER FATHER WAS FROM PUERTO RICO.

CORTEZ-TODD: I GREW UP IN NEW YORK CITY RATHER COMFORTABLY.

I WENT TO PRIVATE SCHOOL BECAUSE I HAD A VERY HARD-WORKING MOTHER.

SO IT WAS A PRIVILEGED UPBRINGING.

YES.

YOUR MOTHER SEEMS TO HAVE WANTED YOU TO BE VERY AWARE ABOUT WHAT WAS HAPPENING OUTSIDE YOUR PRIVILEGED LIFE.

SHE DID A LOT OF WORK WITH THE NEW YORK CITY COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS, SO SHE WOULD TAKE ME TO MEETINGS THAT THEY WOULD HAVE, AND THEN WHEN THEY MADE A COALITION WITH THE CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY, SHE WOULD DRAG ME EVERYWHERE, AND AFTER A WHILE, I DIDN'T NEED TO BE DRAGGED.

I JUST GOT INVOLVED MYSELF.

CROWD: ♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME ♪ ♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME... ♪ CURRY: IN 1963, AT JUST 18 YEARS OLD, FATIMA JOINED MORE THAN A QUARTER OF A MILLION PEOPLE-- INCLUDING LEADING ACTIVISTS, LIKE DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING-- IN A PIVOTAL MOMENT IN THE FIGHT FOR CIVIL RIGHTS-- THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON.

NARRATOR: THEY COME BY TRAIN.

THEY COME BY BUS AND BY AIR.

THEY COME FROM THE NORTH, THE SOUTH, THE EAST, AND WEST.

THEY COME UNITED IN ONE CAUSE-- TO URGE CONGRESS TO PASS A CIVIL RIGHTS BILL TO END FOREVER THE BLIGHT OF RACIAL INEQUITY.

[CROWD CHEERING] CORTEZ-TODD: I NEVER FELT SO PART OF THIS ONE BIG FAMILY, AND IT WAS JUST A GRAND AND GLORIOUS DAY.

IT WAS JUST A DAY OF INCREDIBLE CAMARADERIE.

CURRY: ALTHOUGH THE U.S. CONSTITUTION GUARANTEES EVERY CITIZEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE, IN MANY SOUTHERN STATES, AFRICAN AMERICANS WERE ACTIVELY PREVENTED FROM DOING JUST THAT.

NARRATOR: IN THE SOUTH-- WHERE IN MANY RURAL COUNTIES, NEGROES OUTNUMBER THE WHITES-- THE EMPHASIS WAS ON VOTER REGISTRATION, AND REGISTRATION WAS POWER.

THE NEGROES KNEW IT, AND SO DID THE WHITES.

CURRY: MANY LOCAL WHITE PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY THE KU KLUX KLAN, RESISTED ALL EFFORTS TO HELP AFRICAN AMERICANS REGISTER TO VOTE.

NARRATOR: WHITE SUPREMACISTS AND KLANSMEN MOVED OPENLY IN THE TENSE SOUTH, A DISPLAY OF SOLIDARITY PROMPTED, AMONG OTHER THINGS, BY AN INVASION OF COLLEGE STUDENTS.

THE STUDENTS PLAN TO SPEND THEIR VACATIONS WORKING FOR NEGRO VOTER REGISTRATION.

CURRY: IN 1964, CIVIL RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS SENT OUT A CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS TO BOOST AFRICAN AMERICAN REGISTRATION IN THE SOUTH.

ALREADY A MEMBER OF THE CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY, FATIMA SIGNED UP IMMEDIATELY AND WAS SENT TO LOUISIANA.

CORTEZ-TODD: THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CREATING FREEDOM SCHOOLS, TEACHING PEOPLE HOW TO VOTE.

I FELT I WAS BECOMING AN ADULT, AND I COULDN'T VOTE YET, BUT I COULD HELP OTHER PEOPLE REGISTER TO VOTE, AND I WAS LIKE, "THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING.

I'M GOING SOUTH," AND SO AFTER MY MOTHER HAD HER-- HA HA HA!--HER MOMENT OF "OH, MY GOD," I GOT A LOT OF SUPPORT, AND I WENT.

CURRY: AFTER TWO WEEKS TRAINING IN PLAQUEMINE, LOUISIANA, FATIMA WAS POSTED TO THE SMALL TOWN OF LETTSWORTH.

HERE, AS IN THE REST OF THE SOUTH, RACIAL TENSIONS WERE RUNNING HIGH.

DESPITE THE REAL RISK OF REPRISAL, MANY AFRICAN AMERICAN FAMILIES WELCOMED THE STUDENTS INTO THEIR HOMES.

FATIMA WAS SENT TO LIVE WITH THE CAULFIELDS, A HIGHLY RESPECTED FAMILY IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, BUT IT WAS THEIR 17-YEAR-OLD DAUGHTER THELMA WHO MADE THE BIGGEST IMPRESSION.

YOU REMEMBER MEETING THELMA?

DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT YOUR FIRST IMPRESSIONS WERE OF HER?

MY FIRST IMPRESSION WAS, "OH, MY GOD, SHE IS SO BEAUTIFUL," AND SHE HAS THIS WALK LIKE A QUEEN.

SHE DIDN'T TALK A LOT, BUT WHEN SHE SAID SOMETHING, YOU LISTENED.

CURRY: THELMA WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN OPENING THE DOORS OF A FRIGHTENED COMMUNITY.

CORTEZ-TODD: SHE WAS OUR AMBASSADOR, AND SHE WAS OUR GATEWAY TO THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE SHE KNEW EVERYBODY, AND IT'S LIKE ALL WE HAD TO DO WAS FOLLOW HER, HER LEAD, AND WE COULD TALK TO ANYBODY, AND THEY WOULD LISTEN TO US BECAUSE THEY LISTENED TO HER.

CURRY: BUT IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE FATIMA REALIZED JUST WHAT THELMA AND HER FAMILY WERE RISKING FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS CAUSE AND FOR HER.

CORTEZ-TODD: ONE NIGHT, WE HAD HAD SOMEBODY SHOOT INTO THE HOUSE.

WHERE YOU WERE STAYING.

YEAH.

WHAT THELMA DID WAS, SHE WAS STANDING IN THE FRONT DOOR IN HER NIGHTGOWN AND HER BARE FEET WITH HER RIFLE.

PROTECTING THE HOUSE.

YEAH.

PROTECTING YOU.

YEAH.

SHE DIDN'T BACK DOWN.

SHE DID WAVER ON WHATEVER SHE THOUGHT SHE HAD TO DO IN THE MOMENT, AND FOR ME, THAT'S A WARRIOR.

THAT'S AN AMAZON.

CURRY: IT'S BEEN 53 YEARS SINCE THAT SUMMER, BUT FATIMA BELIEVES THOSE TWO MONTHS SPENT WITH THELMA AND HER FAMILY HAVE SHAPED HER ENTIRE LIFE.

THERE'S SO MANY THINGS ABOUT WHO I AM TODAY THAT I GOT FROM LIVING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH THELMA.

I NEVER HEARD HER SPEAK UNKINDLY OF ANYBODY.

THAT'S SOMETHING TO STRIVE FOR.

SHE SHOWED ME WHAT FAMILY LOVE AND LOVE FOR SELF AND RESPECT FOR SELF-- SHE SHOWED ME WHAT ALL OF THAT LOOKS LIKE, AND I NEVER GOT TO LET THELMA KNOW OR HER FAMILY KNOW, "THANK YOU.

"THANK YOU FOR HOUSING US, FOR PROTECTING US, FOR FEEDING US."

AND I'VE HELD ON TO THAT FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] CURRY: DESPITE THE EFFORTS OF HUNDREDS OF VOLUNTEERS LIKE FATIMA, LIFE DIDN'T CHANGE OVERNIGHT IN THE SOUTH.

CIVIL RIGHTS PROTEST MARCHES WERE OFTEN MET WITH VIOLENCE.

ON MARCH 7, 1965, LESS THAN A YEAR AFTER THE VOTER-REGISTRATION PROJECTS, THE AUTHORITIES' RESPONSE TO A PEACEFUL MARCH FROM SELMA TO MONTGOMERY WAS SO BRUTAL, IT SHOCKED THE NATION.

THE EVENTS IN SELMA GALVANIZED SUPPORT AND PRESIDENT LYNDON JOHNSON WAS FINALLY ABLE TO PUSH THROUGH THE VOTING RIGHTS BILL.

JOHNSON: THERE IS NO NEGRO PROBLEM.

THERE IS NO SOUTHERN PROBLEM.

THERE IS ONLY AN AMERICAN PROBLEM.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] CURRY: THE SHOCKING VIOLENCE BROADCAST ACROSS AMERICA INSPIRED ONE TEENAGER TO JOIN THE BATTLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.

LABEDIS: I WAS RAISED IN A SMALL TOWN, IN SHINGLE SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA.

MY PARENTS HAD RAISED ME TO DO WHAT I BELIEVED IN.

THEY RAISED ME TO BE FAIR AND NOT CARE ABOUT RACE OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: IN THE SPRING OF 1965, SHERIE LABEDIS WAS IN HER SECOND SEMESTER AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY.

AT THAT TIME, BERKELEY STUDENTS WERE DEVELOPING A REPUTATION FOR THEIR POLITICAL ACTIVISM.

THIS IS WHERE ALL THE DEMONSTRATIONS, WHERE THE SPEAKERS WERE, WAS HERE ON THESE STEPS.

THIS WHOLE AREA HERE WOULD BE FULL OF STUDENTS.

THE ATMOSPHERE WAS TENSE, MAYBE EVEN DANGEROUS.

THERE WERE DAILY DEMONSTRATIONS.

THEY WERE NONVIOLENT, BUT I THINK THE FACT THAT THEY WERE THREATENING THE STATUS QUO WAS DISTURBING FOR THE UNIVERSITY.

THEY START WITH CAMPUS COPS AND END UP EVENTUALLY SENDING IN THE NATIONAL GUARD TO CONTROL AND ARREST THESE PEOPLE.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] [CLOCK TOWER BELLS CHIME] CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AS THE FIRST IN HER FAMILY TO GO TO COLLEGE, 18-YEAR-OLD SHERIE FOUND THE CAMPUS PROTESTS WERE A WORLD AWAY FROM THE SMALL-TOWN LIFE SHE HAD GROWN UP WITH, BUT THE HARROWING EVENTS IN SELMA THAT BECAME KNOWN AS BLOODY SUNDAY WOULD CHANGE HER LIFE FOREVER.

MAN: GO HOME OR GO TO YOUR CHURCH.

THIS MARCH WILL NOT CONTINUE.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] LABEDIS, VOICE-OVER: THAT WAS WHAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE FOR ME.

THAT'S WHERE I DISCOVERED WHAT IT WAS I WAS WILLING TO DIE FOR.

THESE PEOPLE WANTED TO WALK 54 MILES.

THEY WANTED TO GET DOWN ON THEIR KNEES AND PRAY TO THE LEGISLATURE FOR THE RIGHT TO VOTE, AND TELEVISION WAS SUCH A POWERFUL MEDIUM THAT WE ALL GOT TO WATCH BLOODY SUNDAY.

IT WAS JUST SO WRONG.

CURRY: JUST LIKE FATIMA BEFORE HER, SHERIE WANTED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND HELP THE CIVIL RIGHTS CAUSE.

LABEDIS, VOICE-OVER: I THINK MY PARENTS WERE TERRIFIED WHEN I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS GOING SOUTH.

THERE WAS NEVER A QUESTION IN MY MIND.

I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE.

IT WAS A COMMITMENT.

CURRY: SHERIE JOINED A PROGRAM SET UP BY THE SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE.

SHE WAS SENT TO PINEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, TO HELP REGISTER VOTERS.

LABEDIS: I HAD NO IDEA WHAT POVERTY WAS OR WHAT ILLITERACY WAS.

WHITE PEOPLE COULD REGISTER TO VOTE 5 DAYS A WEEK.

BLACK PEOPLE WERE ALLOWED TO REGISTER THE FIRST MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH, OR 12 TIMES A YEAR, AND IF THERE WAS A HOLIDAY THAT FELL ON THAT MONDAY, THAT WAS ONE DAY THAT THEY WEREN'T ALLOWED TO REGISTER.

CURRY: DESPITE THE WIDESPREAD EFFORTS OF VOTER-REGISTRATION PROJECTS THE PREVIOUS YEAR, FEAR OF VIOLENT RETRIBUTION WAS STILL RAMPANT AMONG PINEVILLE'S AFRICAN AMERICANS.

SHERIE AND HER FELLOW VOLUNTEERS STRUGGLED TO ENGAGE THEM.

LABEDIS: NOBODY WOULD TALK TO US BECAUSE THEY WOULD BE AFRAID OF US.

WHITE PEOPLE WERE DANGEROUS.

CURRY: TO BUILD TRUST WITH THE LOCAL COMMUNITY, A NEW LEADER WAS DRAFTED IN-- LOUIS "LEFTY" BRYANT.

LABEDIS: WE WANTED SOMEBODY WHO WOULD GET PEOPLE EXCITED ABOUT DOING SOMETHING, SO THEY SENT US LEFTY.

LEFTY WENT TO MASS MEETINGS AND MOVED PEOPLE, AND HE WENT TO CHURCH AND CONVINCED THEM THAT THEY SHOULD REGISTER.

CURRY: HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE HIM, CHARISMATIC?

LABEDIS: ABSOLUTELY.

BIG PERSONALITY.

BIG PERSONALITY, OPINIONATED.

THE YOUTH GROUP THOUGHT HE WAS GREAT.

WHEN SCHOOL WAS OUT, THE ONLY ACTIVITIES THEY HAD WERE CHURCH, DATE NIGHT ON SUNDAY, AND WORKING THE FIELDS.

NOW YOU HAD LEFTY COMING INTO YOUR COMMUNITY AND SAYING, "COME WITH ME.

WE'RE GONNA DO SOMETHING REALLY IMPORTANT," AND IT WORKED.

THAT'S WHAT GOT THE COMMUNITY INTERESTED.

CURRY: AT JUST 20 YEARS OF AGE, LEFTY WAS ALREADY A SEASONED ACTIVIST.

HIS BRAND OF DIRECT ACTION SOON GOT RESULTS, AND THE NUMBER OF VOTER REGISTRATIONS IN THE COMMUNITY BEGAN TO RISE.

LEFTY'S PASSION FOR THE CAUSE WAS A REVELATION FOR THE NAIVE, YOUNG SHERIE.

LABEDIS: THAT HE WAS BOLD AND COMMITTED AND BRAVE.

HE WAS THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

HE WAS WHAT WE SAW ON TV.

WE WANTED TO BE LIKE LEFTY.

I WANT TO FIND LEFTY BECAUSE HE DEFINITELY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN ME, AND THERE IS A COMMUNITY IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHO REMEMBER HIM AND THE LENGTHS THAT HE WENT TO TO MAKE THEIR PLACE A BETTER PLACE, THAT PEOPLE VOTE THERE THAT WOULDN'T HAVE OTHERWISE.

I BELIEVE THAT IF WE FIND HIM AND HE FINDS OUT THAT I FELT THIS WAY, I THINK HE'D LAUGH, BUT I THINK HE WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT HE WAS RECOGNIZED, THAT HE DID DO WHAT IT WAS THAT HE INTENDED TO DO.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: 53 YEARS AFTER SHE SPENT A SUMMER WORKING FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN LOUISIANA, FATIMA CORTEZ-TODD IS HEADING TO THE SOUTH ONCE AGAIN.

SHE'S ON THE TRAIL OF A YOUNG WOMAN WHO WASN'T AFRAID TO STAND UP FOR WHAT WAS RIGHT-- THELMA CAULFIELD.

CORTEZ-TODD: SHE WAS AN EXAMPLE EVERYBODY COULD LIVE UP TO, AND I WANT TO BE ABLE TO SAY, THANK YOU TO HER.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: FATIMA'S FIRST STOP IS NEW ORLEANS AND THE HOME OF RONNIE MOORE, WHO WAS THEN A KEY FIGURE IN THE LOUISIANA DIVISION OF THE CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY.

CORTEZ-TODD: HA HA HA!

MOORE: THE WORLD HASN'T CHANGED.

YOU'RE JUST STUCK OUT THE GATE.

HA HA HA!

OH, MY.

OH, HOW YOU DOING?

OH... OH, SO GOOD TO SEE YOU.

CURRY: THEN JUST 24 YEARS OLD, IT WAS RONNIE'S JOB TO TRAIN VOLUNTEERS LIKE FATIMA AND PREPARE THEM FOR WHAT THEY MIGHT FACE.

THIS RARE FILM SHOWS HIM IN ACTION.

MOORE: "THE DEPUTY REGISTRAR SHALL INTERVIEW "AND GIVE APPLICATIONS TO ONLY ONE APPLICANT AT A TIME.

UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION FROM DICTATION BY THE REGISTRAR."

CORTEZ-TODD: WE HAD A LECTURE BY RONNIE MOORE TELLING US, YOU KNOW, THE RULES WE HAD TO FOLLOW, LIKE WE SHOULDN'T BE GOING ANYWHERE BY OURSELVES, AND WE HAD TO PRACTICE WHAT TO DO IF WE'RE, YOU KNOW, DEMONSTRATING.

IF YOU GET KNOCKED OVER, YOU IMMEDIATELY GO TO A FETAL POSITION.

NARRATOR: THE TRAINING IN NONVIOLENCE WAS IN ITSELF RATHER VIOLENT.

YOU COVER YOUR, YOU KNOW, HEAD, SO YOU COVER THE PARTS OF YOUR BODY THAT COULD BE INJURED.

THEY WOULD, YOU KNOW, HIT US.

THEY WOULD TAKE CIGARETTES AND GET REALLY CLOSE.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?

WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?

ANSWER ME, GIRL.

WHAT ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?

THE TRAINING WAS VERY REAL AND VERY SERIOUS.

WE KNEW EVERYTHING, AND WE KNEW NOTHING.

WE JUST KNEW THAT THERE'S SOMETHING WRONG AND WE NEED TO FIX IT.

SEE, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THE POLITICS OF LEFT AND RIGHT BECAUSE WE WERE DEEPLY ROOTED IN THE TRUTH OF RIGHT AND WRONG.

YEAH.

IT WAS CLEAR AS TO WHAT WAS RIGHT AND WHAT WAS WRONG.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] CURRY: THE DANGERS THE VOLUNTEERS FACED WERE ABOUT TO BECOME VERY REAL.

JUST A WEEK AFTER FATIMA ARRIVED IN LOUISIANA, NEWS HIT THE HEADLINES THAT 3 YOUNG CIVIL RIGHTS CAMPAIGNERS HAD GONE MISSING IN NEIGHBORING MISSISSIPPI.

NARRATOR: AFTER 6 WEEKS, 3 BULLET-RIDDLED BODIES WERE FOUND BURIED IN AN EARTH DAM.

THEY WERE JAMES CHANEY, A NEGRO FROM MISSISSIPPI, AND MICHAEL SCHWERNER AND ANDREW GOODMAN, BOTH WHITE, FROM NEW YORK CITY.

MOORE: I MEAN, WHEN THEY KILLED THE 3 BOYS IN MISSISSIPPI, IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT WE'RE PROBABLY GONNA BE DYING FOR THIS CAUSE FOREVER, THAT THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME ACTS OF VIOLENCE AGAINST THOSE WHO STAND UP.

IT MADE YOU MORE COMMITTED THAN EVER BEFORE TO CONTINUE THE STRUGGLE BECAUSE YOU HAD PAID SUCH A TREMENDOUS PRICE.

AND THE KLAN WAS SO WIDESPREAD, AND THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO WERE KLAN SUPPORTERS WHO YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE BELIEVED WERE KLAN SUPPORTERS, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT WAS THAT WHOLE MENTALITY, BUT I THINK THAT THAT SCARED US AND GALVANIZED US AND INSPIRED US...

RIGHT.

ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

CURRY: FATIMA HAD ALREADY WITNESSED THELMA DEFEND HER FAMILY HOME WITH A RIFLE, BUT SHE WOULD SOON COME FACE TO FACE WITH RACIAL HOSTILITY HERSELF.

THEY WOULD DRIVE BY WHERE WE WERE HOLDING CLASSES, AND THEY'D SIT IN THEIR CARS OR THEIR TRUCKS, AND THEY'D HAVE THE RIFLE IN THE RIFLE RACK AND A LOT OF INTIMIDATION.

WHAT DID THEY SAY?

"YOU NIGGER COON," YOU KNOW, "YOU TRASH."

THEY CALLED YOU THAT?

YEAH.

"Y'ALL NEED TO GO BACK NORTH "WHERE YOU CAME FROM.

"WE DON'T NEED YOUR KIND AROUND HERE, YOU F-ing OUTSIDER, TROUBLEMAKER."

WAS THAT THE ONLY TIME YOU FELT THREATENED?

NO.

I WAS SITTING ON THE STEPS OF THIS LITTLE STORE THAT WAS CLOSED-- I DON'T KNOW WHY IT WAS CLOSED-- AND THIS GREEN FORD PULLED UP WITH TWO YOUNG MEN IN THE TRUCK.

THE ONE DRIVING HELD A DOUBLE-BARREL SHOTGUN TO MY HEAD, JUST POINTED RIGHT HERE, AND I FROZE.

YOU WOKE UP TO HOW DANGEROUS THIS WAS.

YOU KNOW, I STARED HIM DOWN, AND HE JUST PUT HIS RIFLE BACK IN THE CAR AND DROVE OFF.

CURRY: FATIMA KNEW SHE COULD LEAVE IF THE DANGER GOT TOO GREAT, BUT THELMA CAULFIELD DIDN'T HAVE THAT OPTION.

ALL SHE COULD DO WAS STAND UP TO THE HATRED.

CORTEZ-TODD: I NEVER LOST SIGHT OF THE FACT THAT I COULD GO HOME.

I HAD A "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" CARD THAT I COULD PLAY ANYTIME, BUT PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE, WHO WERE BORN AND RAISED THERE, THEY DIDN'T HAVE A "GET OUT OF JAIL FREE" CARD.

THEY COULDN'T SPEAK UP AS FREELY AS I COULD.

CURRY: BECAUSE RONNIE MOORE WAS THERE AND SET HER OFF ON HER CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNEY, FATIMA'S HOPING HE'LL HAVE A LEAD ON THELMA'S WHEREABOUTS.

I TOLD YOU, I'M LOOKING FOR THELMA CAULFIELD.

I HAD HER ON A PEDESTAL.

I KNEW SHE WAS KEY IN KEEPING US SAFE.

I REALLY JUST WANT TO BE ABLE TO TELL HER HOW MUCH I APPRECIATE, YOU KNOW, WHAT SHE DID.

YOU MIGHT GO BACK TO THE ORIGINAL HOUSE IF YOU CAN FIND IT.

DO YOU HAVE THE ADDRESS OR STREET IT WAS ON?

I KNEW WHAT THE GEOGRAPHY LOOKED LIKE AT THE TIME.

GET ON DOWN THERE AND-- "GET ON DOWN THERE."

HA HA HA!

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: RONNIE IS NO LONGER IN TOUCH WITH THELMA OR HER FAMILY, SO FATIMA TAKES HIS ADVICE AND HEADS ON TO LETTSWORTH, LOUISIANA, TO SEE IF SHE CAN FIND THE CAULFIELD HOME... OOH, IT'S HOT.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: BUT AFTER 53 YEARS, THAT'S EASIER SAID THAN DONE.

I DON'T RECOGNIZE ANY OF THIS.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: AFTER SPENDING AN HOUR DRIVING UP AND DOWN ROUTE ONE IN LETTSWORTH, FATIMA HAS DRAWN A BLANK.

IT'S BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD IN HER SEARCH FOR THELMA CAULFIELD.

SHERI LABEDIS IS ALSO RETRACING HER STEPS.

SHE'S IN SOUTH CAROLINA ON THE TRAIL OF THE MAN WHO INSPIRED HER PASSION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS IN THE 1960s-- LOUIS "LEFTY" BRYANT.

LABEDIS, VOICE-OVER: IT'S EXCITING TO BE BACK IN THE SOUTH BECAUSE I WAS 18, I WAS YOUNG, AND IT IMPACTED ME.

IT CHANGED WHO I BECAME AS AN ADULT.

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: SHERIE'S ARRANGED TO MEET ROBERT GADSDEN, ONE OF HER CIVIL RIGHTS COWORKERS FROM 1965.

HEY!

HA HA HA!

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: THOUGH THEY'VE KEPT IN TOUCH, IT'S THE FIRST TIME THEY'VE SEEN EACH OTHER IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS.

IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU.

50 YEARS AGO.

52 YEARS AGO.

5--EH, LOOK.

WHO'S COUNTING?

CURRY, VOICE-OVER: SHERIE, LEFTY, AND THEIR FELLOW CIVIL RIGHTS WORKERS TRANSFORMED AN OLD GAS STATION IN PINEVILLE INTO A BASE FOR THEIR VOTER-REGISTRATION WORK.

THEY CALLED IT THE FREEDOM HOUSE.

GADSDEN: THE THING I REMEMBER ABOUT LEFTY, I GOT TO KNOW HIM AT THE FREEDOM HOUSE.

HE WAS TRYING TO DO THE RIGHT THING, I THOUGHT, AT THE TIME.

I FIGURE I'LL GO ALONG WITH THAT, JUST, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HE'S DOING THE RIGHT THING.

CURRY: FOR LEFTY, THE RIGHT THING MEANT DIRECT ACTION TO CHALLENGE SEGREGATION IN THE SOUTH.

SEGREGATION HAD BEEN MADE ILLEGAL IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS BILL A YEAR EARLIER, BUT MANY BUSINESSES IGNORED THE NEW LAW.

IN THE NEIGHBORING STATE OF GEORGIA, THIS RESTAURANT WAS ONE OF THEM.

I'LL USE AX HANDLES.

I'LL USE GUNS.

I'LL USE FEET.

I'LL USE MY FISTS.

I'LL USE MY CUSTOMERS.

I'LL USE MY EMPLOYEES.

I'LL USE ANYTHING AT MY DISPOSAL.

I'M NOT GONNA INTEGRATE.

[CHEERING] CURRY: LESTER MADDOX, WHO LATER BECAME THE GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA, WASN'T ALONE IN WANTING TO KEEP HIS RESTAURANT SEGREGATED.

IN 1965, LEFTY BELIEVED THE RESTAURANT THAT WAS ON THIS SPOT IN SOUTH CAROLINA WAS ALSO FLOUTING THE NEW LAW.

IT STILL LOOKS SMALL.

PARKING LOT IS STILL THERE, SMALL.

THE BUSHES ARE NEW, AND I BET THE BENCHES, TOO.

CURRY: LEFTY ADVOCATED NONVIOLENT, DIRECT ACTION.

HE ALWAYS LED FROM THE FRONT.

HE ENCOURAGED SHERIE AND THE OTHER CIVIL RIGHTS VOLUNTEERS TO TAKE A STAND, BUT THEIR PROTEST WAS QUICKLY SHUT DOWN.

THAT'S THE DOOR THEY LOCKED.

I'M SURE OF THAT.

CLINK, CLINK.

YEP.

"YOU AIN'T COMING IN HERE."

GOT ORDERS FROM LEFTY TO WALK BACK AND FORTH.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S ME.

I'M BRINGING UP THE REAR, AS USUAL.

CURRY: WITH THE RESTAURANT NOT ALLOWING THE VOLUNTEERS IN, AND A HOSTILE CROWD GATHERING TO HURL ABUSE, SHERIE AND HER FELLOW ACTIVISTS LEFT TOWN.

AS SOON AS WE GOT AWAY, WE WERE SINGING, AND WE WERE HAVING THE BEST TIME.

WE HAD DONE WHAT WE CAME TO DO.

CURRY: LEFTY'S GROUP WAS IN HIGH SPIRITS AFTER CLOSING THE RESTAURANT FOR TWO HOURS, BUT THE EUPHORIA WAS SHORT-LIVED.

GADSDEN: SOMEBODY YELLED THAT A CAR IS COMING BEHIND US, AND HE BUMPED US.

EVERYBODY LOOKED AROUND TO FIND OUT WHAT'S GOING ON, AND THERE WAS ANOTHER CAR BEHIND THAT ONE THAT PULLED OUT AND TRIED TO BOX US IN.

WE GOT FORCED OFF THE ROAD IN THIS AREA.

CURRY: WITH HORROR, THEY REALIZED THEY WERE BEING FOLLOWED BY SOME OF THE MOB FROM OUTSIDE THE RESTAURANT.

LABEDIS: SO I PULLED OFF ON THE RIGHT, AND I THINK WE WENT SILENT.

[CAR DOOR OPENS] I WAS SCARED TO DEATH... TO SEE WHAT THEY-- AND EVERYBODY ELSE WAS QUIET, EXCEPT LEFTY.

YEAH, THE TAUNTER.

[CHUCKLING] "TAUNTER"--THAT'S A PERFECT WORD FOR HIM.

THEY WERE TAPPING ON THE CAR, TRYING TO INTIMIDATE US, RIGHT?

BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS QUIET.

[TAPPING] THAT'S RIGHT.

ACROSS THE TOP AND DOWN THE BACK.

LEFTY GOT DRAGGED OUT OF THE CAR HERE.

THEY STARTED BEATING ON HIM.

THEY HAD NO MERCY, NO NOTHING, NO COMPASSION.

NO.

LEFTY WAS LYING ON THE GROUND, AND THE GUY IN THE CHEVY STARTED REVVING HIS MOTOR TO PULL HIM-- UH, TO RUN HIM OVER.

AND THE GUY HAD THE GUN, AND HE WAS POINTING THE GUN AT ME AND SAYING, "NIGGER, DON'T YOU COME ANY CLOSER."

I WAS FEELING SCARED.

WHAT ELSE TO-- I WAS SCARED BECAUSE THE ONLY THING HE HAD TO DO WAS SQUEEZE THE TRIGGER, AND I'D HAVE BEEN GONE.

AND HE TURNED AROUND AND JUST SORT OF DRIVE AWAY.

I DID NOT MOVE.

I DIDN'T COME NO CLOSER.

THERE'S NOTHING ANYBODY CAN DO.

I MEAN, ONCE THEY GOT DONE WITH HIM, AND THEY DIDN'T SHOOT YOU, IT'S LIKE, "NOW WHAT DO WE DO WITH HIM?"

WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY IDEA OF HOW BADLY HE WAS HURT, JUST THAT HE WAS DOWN.

YEAH, HE WAS OUT.

AND EVERYBODY RAN TO HIS...TO HIS AID.

CURRY: LEFTY'S INJURIES WERE NOT LIFE-THREATENING, BUT IT WAS A REMINDER TO THE WHOLE GROUP OF THE DANGER OF BEING ON THE FRONT LINE OF THE BATTLE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS.

UNFORTUNATELY, LIKE SHERIE, ROBERT LOST TOUCH WITH LEFTY 5 DECADES AGO, SO SHE'S NO CLOSER TO TRACKING HIM DOWN.

IN THE HOPE OF FINDING A NEW LEAD, SHE TRAVELS TO NEARBY CHARLESTON TO MEET AN EXPERT ON SOUTH CAROLINA'S CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT-- PROFESSOR JON HALE.

I MUST SAY, MR. BRYANT IS A VERY DIFFICULT PERSON TO TRACK DOWN, BUT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE HIS NAME IN THE LOCAL PAPER, "THE NEWS AND COURIER," WHICH IS BASED HERE IN CHARLESTON... LABEDIS: AH!

AND THERE ARE ARE 3 INSTANCES THAT WE COME ACROSS MR. BRYANT'S NAME, THE FIRST OF WHICH IS IN 1965, WHERE MR. BRYANT WAS PART OF A GROUP OF ACTIVISTS WHO ATTEMPTED TO DESEGREGATE THE BEACH AT EDISTO STATE PARK.

MM-HMM.

AND WE ALSO SEE HIS NAME AGAIN IN 1966 AND 1969, AND HERE HE IS SUING THE YMCA IN CHARLESTON FOR RACIAL DISCRIMINATION.

MR. BRYANT WAS A CRITICAL PART OF THE LOCAL MOVEMENT HERE, AND HE WAS VERY IMPORTANT IN, AGAIN, BRINGING DOWN SEGREGATION IN CHARLESTON.

I KNEW THAT LEFTY HAD BEEN ARRESTED A NUMBER OF TIMES, AND HE TOOK A LOT OF PLEASURE IN BEING A SERIOUS ACTIVIST.

BUT THESE ARTICLES JUST MAKE IT-- THEY GIVE HIM CREDIBILITY.

MM-HMM.

BEING ARRESTED WAS A BADGE OF HONOR.

IT REALLY DISTINGUISHED VETERAN ACTIVISTS FROM THOSE MOVING TO THE SOUTH FOR THE FIRST TIME.

AND I'M SURE, IF AND WHEN WE GET TO MEET LEFTY, I'M SURE THAT HE WILL TALK ABOUT THAT HE WAS ACTING UPON THE FORCES OF HISTORY IN THE 1960s.

CURRY: IT'S CLEAR FROM THE ARTICLES THAT LEFTY CONTINUED HIS CIVIL RIGHTS WORK LONG AFTER HE AND SHERIE LAST MET, BUT SHERIE IS STILL NO CLOSER TO LOCATING HIM.

THEN, JUST AS THE TRAIL SEEMS TO GROW COLD... [LINE RINGING] [BEEP] HALE: HI, SHERIE.

HOW ARE YOU DOING?

I'M--I'M HAVING A VERY INTERESTING TIME.

OK. WELL, IT'S BEEN DIFFICULT TO TRACE MR. BRYANT IN CHARLESTON.

HOWEVER, WITH A LITTLE BIT OF RESEARCH, WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO LOCATE HIM AGAIN IN ISLA VISTA, CALIFORNIA.

THAT'S GREAT!

HE WAS ARRESTED IN 1970, AND HE'S IMPLICATED IN A PROTEST THAT IS CONNECTED TO THE BURNING OF A BRANCH OF BANK OF AMERICA.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT A TRIP OUT TO SANTA BARBARA BE YOUR NEXT STEP.

JON, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

CURRY: THIS IS THE FIRST LEAD SHERIE HAS HAD SINCE SHE ARRIVED IN THE SOUTH, BUT IF TRUE, IT APPEARS THAT LEFTY MAY HAVE ABANDONED HIS NONVIOLENT APPROACH TO FIGHTING INJUSTICE.

IT SADDENS ME A LITTLE BIT TO THINK THAT HE MIGHT HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN BURNING A BANK.

[SNIFFLES] BUT MAYBE THERE'S A CHANCE THAT I CAN ACTUALLY... SEE LEFTY.

[SNIFFLES] IT'S JUST UNBELIEVABLE.

CURRY: WITH LEFTY BRYANT NOW PLACED IN CALIFORNIA IN THE 1970s, SHERIE HAS A NEW LEAD TO FOLLOW AT LAST.

CURRY: FATIMA HAS REACHED A DEAD END IN HER SEARCH FOR HER OLD FRIEND AND INSPIRATION, THELMA CAULFIELD.

WITH NO TRACE OF THELMA OR HER FAMILY IN LETTSWORTH, FATIMA'S TRAVELING TO NEW ORLEANS, HOPING THAT A LOCAL GENEALOGIST, JARI HONORÉ, WILL BE ABLE TO HELP.

WE STARTED BY LOOKING FOR THELMA CAULFIELD IN SOME ONLINE DIRECTORY DATABASES THAT-- WHICH SHOWED THAT SHE HAD ACTUALLY PASSED AWAY...

BUT WE DID NOT FIND THELMA IN THE SOCIAL SECURITY DEATH INDEX, WHICH GAVE US HOPE THAT SHE WAS STILL LIVING.

WE CONTINUED OUR SEARCH IN THE OBITUARIES IN THE "NEW ORLEANS TIMES-PICAYUNE," WHICH IS THE DAILY PAPER HERE IN NEW ORLEANS, AND WE FOUND THE OBITUARY OF HER BROTHER, ERNEST CAULFIELD... WOW.

WHO DIED IN 2002.

CURRY: THE OBITUARY GIVES NO INFORMATION ABOUT THELMA'S WHEREABOUTS, BUT IT DOES CONTAIN A LEAD.

WE FOUND THAT TWO OF THE 3 BROTHERS ARE ACTUALLY STILL LIVING.

THEY LIVE HERE IN NEW ORLEANS.

OH, THAT'S--OH, I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS THAT I WANT TO ASK THEM, AND I KNOW-- I KNOW THEY'LL BE ABLE TO TELL ME SOMETHING...

YES.

BEFORE WE'RE BOTH IN THE OBITUARIES.

WELL, HOPEFULLY NOT FOR A LONG TIME.

YES.

HA HA!

CURRY: AN ONLINE SEARCH SOON TURNS UP AN ADDRESS FOR HUEY AND WILLIS CAULFIELD, THELMA'S OLDER BROTHERS.

1621.

THERE IT IS.

CORTEZ-TODD: ALL RIGHTY.

CURRY: FATIMA'S HOPING THEY'LL PROVIDE THE FINAL PIECE OF THE PUZZLE IN HER SEARCH FOR THEIR SISTER.

I GUESS YOU ALL KNOW THAT I'M LOOKING FOR THELMA.

I HAVE WANTED TO TELL HER HOW IMPORTANT SHE WAS TO ME AND HOW MUCH I ADMIRED HER, HOW BEAUTIFUL I THOUGHT SHE WAS, AND SHE WAS FEARLESS.

HUEY: MM-HMM, THAT'S TRUE.

AND WHEN I THINK ABOUT THOSE TIMES, THAT'S WHAT I REMEMBER.

I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TELL HER THAT.

THELMA WILL BE VERY EXCITED TO SEE YOU, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE HAD BEEN A LONG TIME.

CURRY: HUEY REVEALS WHY THELMA HAS BEEN SO HARD TO TRACK DOWN.

AFTER MY MOTHER PASSED, THELMA WENT TO CALIFORNIA TO LIVE.

OK. AND... SHE GOT MARRIED THERE.

HER HUSBAND WAS IN THE MILITARY, SO SHE MOVED AROUND A LOT.

UH-HUH.

LIVED QUITE A FEW DIFFERENT PLACES: CALIFORNIA AND...SHE LIVED IN WASHINGTON STATE, LIVED IN NEW JERSEY AND RHODE ISLAND...

BUT SHE'S HERE IN LOUISIANA AT THE PRESENT TIME.

I'M IN SHOCK... HA HA HA!

BECAUSE TO FIND OUT THAT SHE IS SO CLOSE TO HERE, AND WE'VE BEEN ALL UP AND DOWN THE ROAD... HEH HEH!

AND SHE WAS HERE.

YOU HAVE A PHONE NUMBER FOR HER?

YES, I DO.

CAN I HAVE IT?

YES, MA'AM.

OK. OH.

THAT'S IT RIGHT THERE.

GOT IT.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

THANK YOU.

CURRY: AT LAST, FATIMA HAS WHAT SHE'S BEEN LOOKING FOR-- A MEANS OF CONTACTING THELMA FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS.

THAT WAS JUST GREAT.

I'M REALLY HAPPY THAT SHE'S STILL ALIVE, TO BE ABLE TO LOOK FORWARD TO ACTUALLY SEEING HER, MEETING HER, TALKING TO HER, AND THAT BRINGS ME GREAT PLEASURE.

CURRY: SHERIE LABEDIS HAS COME TO CALIFORNIA ON THE TRAIL OF HER OLD FRIEND AND FELLOW CIVIL-RIGHTS CAMPAIGNER, LOUIS "LEFTY" BRYANT.

SHE'S DISCOVERED HIS LIFE APPEARED TO TAKE A MORE VIOLENT TURN AFTER THEY LOST TOUCH.

[PEOPLE SHOUTING] LEFTY WAS ARRESTED IN 1970, ACCUSED OF BURNING DOWN A BANK DURING THE ISLA VISTA RIOTS IN SANTA BARBARA, CAUSED BY TENSIONS BETWEEN STUDENT ACTIVISTS AND LOCAL AUTHORITIES.

SHERIE'S RESEARCH HAS LED HER TO LEFTY'S FORMER GIRLFRIEND, PAT JAMISON.

THEY'RE MEETING AT THE UNIVERSITY CAMPUS IN SANTA BARBARA, CLOSE TO THE SCENE OF THE RIOTS.

I AM MORE THAN DELIGHTED TO MEET YOU.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

YOU, TOO.

WELL, I'VE BEEN LOOKING FOR LEFTY FOR SOME TIME.

HE HAD A BIG IMPACT ON MY LIFE.

WE HAD THIS QUIET, LITTLE VOTER REGISTRATION PROJECT.

MM-HMM.

AND... LEFTY MOVED PEOPLE.

MM-HMM.

HE WAS A GOOD PERSON.

I WANT TO KNOW HOW HE COULD GO FROM BEING A NONVIOLENT SORT TO BURNING A BANK.

HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT, AND HE WAS--AS FAR AS I KNEW HIM, HE WAS ALWAYS NONVIOLENT.

LEFTY COULDN'T HAVE HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE BURNING OF THE BANK.

HE WAS IN JAIL THE NIGHT THE BANK BURNED.

I'M SO GLAD TO HEAR THAT LEFTY WASN'T INVOLVED IN ANY WAY IN A BANK BOMBING, A BANK BURNING, OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT.

HE WAS STILL IN CUSTODY WHEN THE BANK BURNED, SO THEY HAD TO DROP THE INDICTMENT, HOWEVER, HE WAS ALWAYS A THORN IN THE SIDE OF THOSE WHO WANTED TO CONTINUE DISCRIMINATION AGAINST PEOPLE IN ANY WAY.

CURRY: PAT HAS PHOTOGRAPHS OF LEFTY, TAKEN A DECADE AFTER SHERIE KNEW HIM IN SOUTH CAROLINA.

DOES THAT LOOK FAMILIAR?

YEAH!

HA HA HA HA!

YEAH, HAIRCUT'S DIFFERENT, BUT YEAH.

THAT'S HOW HE OFTEN LOOKED, VERY DRAMATIC, VERY CHARISMATIC, HAD A CHARMING SMILE.

THIS WAS US.

YOUR PICTURES SAYS 1974.

HOW LONG WERE YOU IN TOUCH?

WELL, HE WAS WITH PENNY MARTIN, WHO I KNEW FROM SANTA BARBARA, AND HE KIND OF HAD TRANSITIONED FROM ME TO PENNY MARTIN.

HAD TWO DAUGHTERS WITH HER, I BELIEVE, AND WAS LIVING WITH HER, THE LAST I HEARD, IN VENTURA.

CURRY: THIS NEW INFORMATION-- THE NAME OF LEFTY'S LONGTIME PARTNER-- ALLOWS SHERIE TO FIND A CONTACT NUMBER ONLINE.

[LINE RINGING] AFTER 50 YEARS OF WONDERING, SHE IS TANTALIZINGLY CLOSE TO FINDING OUT WHERE LEFTY IS.

WOMAN: HELLO?

HI, THIS IS SHERIE LABEDIS.

UH-HUH?

AND I'M-- PAT JAMISON SUGGESTED THAT I TALK TO YOU IF I WANTED TO FIND OUT SOMETHING MORE ABOUT WHERE LEFTY IS.

OK. CAN YOU HELP ME?

UM... WELL, HE'S DECEASED.

OH, I'M SORRY TO HEAR THAT.

YEAH.

AH.

AND I'M NOT QUITE SURE WHAT TO SAY TO YOU.

HE HAD A, UH, PACEMAKER.

HIS HEART...UM...

TOOK HIM.

CURRY: IT'S NOT THE NEWS SHERIE WANTED TO HEAR.

LEFTY, THE MAN WHO SO INSPIRED HER AS A TEENAGER, DIED IN 2008 AFTER SUFFERING A HEART ATTACK.

I'M REALLY SORRY TO HEAR THAT HE'S PASSED.

CURRY: ALTHOUGH IT'S TOO LATE TO FIND LEFTY, SHERIE STILL HOPES TO CONNECT WITH HIS FAMILY.

I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HAVE A CHANCE TO SHARE SOME STORIES WITH YOUR GIRLS.

IS THERE ANY CHANCE THAT I COULD MEET HIS DAUGHTERS?

THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

I THINK THEY WOULD LOVE TO MEET YOU.

I'M SORRY THAT HE'S PASSED, BUT HE HAS TWO DAUGHTERS, AND THEY WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEIR DAD.

AND THAT'S SOMETHING I THINK I CAN PROVIDE A SMALL PART OF, SO I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING THEM.

CURRY: IN 1964, TWO TEENAGE GIRLS FROM VERY DIFFERENT BACKGROUNDS WERE DRAWN TOGETHER BY THEIR SUPPORT FOR THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT.

CROWD: ♪ WE SHALL OVERCOME ♪ ♪ WE SHALL... ♪ CURRY: THEIR FRIENDSHIP MADE A LASTING IMPACT ON THEN-18-YEAR-OLD FATIMA CORTEZ-TODD, DESPITE THE VIOLENCE THEY FACED TOGETHER.

AFTER MONTHS OF SEARCHING, FATIMA IS NOW MOMENTS AWAY FROM REUNITING WITH THELMA CAULFIELD.

CORTEZ-TODD: MY STOMACH IS FLUTTERY, LIKE...ANTICIPATION, EXCITEMENT.

CURRY: YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THELMA IN 53 YEARS, AND YOU'RE ABOUT TO MEET HER AGAIN.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU WANT TO SAY TO HER?

I...I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO SAY, AND I DON'T KNOW WHAT I'M GOING TO SAY, BUT I'M GOING TO HUG HER, AND THAT'S THE ONE THING I KNOW.

CURRY: FATIMA'S BROUGHT ALONG SOME MEMENTOS TO SHARE WITH THELMA, ALONG WITH A HEARTFELT WISH TO THANK HER INSPIRATIONAL OLD FRIEND.

OH, MY GOD.

OH!

HA HA HA HA!

GIRL!

HA HA!

IT CAN'T HAPPEN TOO OFTEN!

YES, INDEED.

YES, YES, YES, YES, YES.

MMM.

YES, INDEED.

I KNOW YOU CAN'T STAND UP STRAIGHT, EITHER, DO YOU?

HA HA!

LOOK AT YOU.

YOU LOOK THE SAME.

REALLY?

YES, REALLY.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

THE FIRST THING I WANT TO SAY IS I WANT TO SAY THANK YOU BECAUSE YOUR FAMILY OPENED YOUR HOUSE...

RIGHT.

TO ME.

YES.

AND I NEVER SAID THANK YOU.

OH, YOU SAID THANK YOU IN SO MANY WAYS OF ALL THE THINGS YOU DID, THE CONTRIBUTION YOU MADE.

WELL, I JUST NEEDED TO SAY THANK YOU.

WELL, I THANK YOU.

HA HA!

THANK YOU.

OK. OK, AND NOW I CAN SIT DOWN AND SHOW YOU ALL THE STUFF THAT I GOT.

I AM JUST SO EXCITED!

I JUST-- HA HA HA!

I'M SO GLAD THAT NOW I CAN AT LEAST TALK TO YOU.

SO TELL ME WHO THAT IS.

OH, MY GOD.

IS THAT ME?

YES.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

I KNOW.

I WAS SKINNY, SKINNY, SKINNY.

THEY CALLED ME BONY MORONIE, THEY CALLED ME OLIVE OYL.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

BUT, NOW, HERE IS... IS THAT RONNIE?

YES.

WELL, I'LL BE.

AND HE LOOKS EXACTLY THE SAME NOW.

CURRY: SEEING THIS PHOTO OF CORPS COORDINATOR RONNIE MOORE AND ANOTHER ONE OF HER BROTHERS AND PARENTS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN 50 YEARS IS A DELIGHT FOR THELMA.

IN THE YEARS SINCE, THELMA MARRIED A SERVICEMAN AND HAS SPENT THE LAST 5 DECADES TRAVELING THE WORLD WITH HIM.

SHE'S DEVOTED TO HER CHURCH AND STILL INSPIRES.

I OWN UP TO BEING... FRESH, SPOILED, AND YOU TAUGHT ME SO MUCH.

I SAW HOW PEOPLE RESPECTED YOU.

THE WAY YOU CARRIED YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, YOU WERE A REALLY GREAT ROLE MODEL FOR A NAÏVE, SPOILED YOUNG WOMAN FROM-- CITY GIRL.

CITY GIRL--ALL RIGHT.

HA HA HA!

OK. MY GOODNESS.

THELMA CAULFIELD.

IT'S JUST AMAZING.

I'M JUST AWED BY THE WHOLE THING.

I HAD YOU ON A PEDESTAL.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

AND I JUST--I NEVER WANTED TO MESS UP IN YOUR PRESENCE.

HMM.

MY GOODNESS.

YEAH.

THAT'S AMAZING.

CAULFIELD: I MEAN, TO THINK THAT YOU MADE AN IMPRESSION ON SOMEONE IS JUST AMAZING, JUST AMAZING.

CORTEZ-TODD: SHE'S STILL ELEGANT AND STILL BEAUTIFUL AND STILL A WOMAN VERY MUCH IN TOUCH WITH HER PRESENCE IN THE WORLD.

SHE CARRIES HERSELF LIKE A QUEEN.

OH, MY GOD.

I WISH YOU HAD TRIED TO FIND ME A LONG TIME AGO.

HA HA!

I DID.

OR I TRIED TO FIND YOU.

CURRY: IT'S BEEN ONLY A WEEK SINCE SHERIE LABEDIS LEARNED THE NEWS THAT HER FRIEND AND INSPIRATION, LEFTY BRYANT, HAD DIED.

BUT NOW SHE'S LOOKING FORWARD TO MEETING HIS DAUGHTERS.

LABEDIS: DO THEY LOOK LIKE HIM?

DO THEY SOUND LIKE HIM?

THEIR DAD WAS AN AMAZING PERSON.

HE DIDN'T GET ANY MEDALS, BUT IF ANYBODY DESERVED THEM, HE DID.

THIS IS A WAY TO RECAPTURE A LITTLE BIT OF HIM AGAIN.

YEAH, I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO IT.

CURRY: LEFTY'S DAUGHTERS, FANYA ROBINSON AND SOMESHA JOHNSON, HAVE FLOWN MORE THAN A THOUSAND MILES FROM THEIR HOME IN COLORADO TO MEET SHERIE IN CALIFORNIA.

LABEDIS: WELL, HELLO.

[CHUCKLING] HELLO.

I GET HUGS.

I LIKE THAT.

HA HA!

HELLO.

NICE TO MEET YOU.

LET'S-- LET'S HAVE A SEAT.

HOW DO YOU KNOW OUR DAD?

HA HA HA HA!

I GOT SENT TO PINEVILLE, SOUTH CAROLINA, WHICH IS OUT IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE.

IT'S COTTON COUNTRY.

WE WERE THERE FOR MAYBE 3 WEEKS AND GETTING NOWHERE.

WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO CAN DO THAT, AND HIS NAME WAS LOUIS BRYANT, LEFTY, AND I THINK, "THINGS ARE GOING TO BE VERY DIFFERENT NOW."

CURRY: LEFTY TOLD HIS DAUGHTERS ABOUT HIS CIVIL RIGHTS WORK...

BUT WAS CAREFUL TO SHIELD THEM FROM THE MOST HARROWING DETAILS, SO SHERIE'S PHOTOS ARE A REVELATION.

BECAUSE YOU HEAR THE STORIES, YOU SEE, YOU KNOW, MOVIES ABOUT WHAT YOU GUYS WENT THROUGH, AND YOU'RE LIKE--[GASPS].

LIKE, WHEN I SEE MOVIES LIKE THAT, I GO, "YEAH, MY DAD WENT-- DID THAT.

MY DAD WAS INVOLVED IN THAT," YOU KNOW, AND HE MADE THEM LIGHT-HEARTED WHEN HE TOLD US THINGS THAT HE WENT THROUGH.

CURRY: BUT SEEING THE TRUE NATURE OF WHAT THEIR FATHER ENDURED IS SHOCKING.

OH, MY GOODNESS.

THAT'S MY DAD.

WOW.

MMM.

IT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME THAT HE DID THAT.

THAT DOESN'T SURPRISE ME.

BUT TO SEE THE PICTURE-- THAT WAS-- THAT WAS A LITTLE-- LITTLE MUCH.

MUCH, YEAH.

BECAUSE IT MAKES IT, LIKE, REAL-- THAT THAT WAS HIM, YOU KNOW.

CURRY: AND IT SEEMS AS IF LEFTY'S PASSION FOR CIVIL RIGHTS INSPIRED HIS DAUGHTERS.

YOUR MOM SAID ONE OF YOU WAS MORE AN ACTIVIST?

MM-HMM.

YEAH, THAT'S ME.

HA HA!

YEAH, WE--IN JUNIOR HIGH, WE STARTED A YOUTH AGAINST RACISM ORGANIZATION, AND WE DID MARCHES AND WE MET ROSA PARKS.

HE TOOK US TO GO MEET ROSA PARKS.

HOW VERY COOL.

YEAH.

YEAH, SO THAT WAS AWESOME.

THAT WAS REALLY NICE.

HE'D COME TO MY HISTORY CLASS, AND THE TEACHERS WOULD HAVE HIM COME IN AND HE WOULD TALK ABOUT CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT AND HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS AND HIS EXPERIENCES, AND HE DID THAT FOR YEARS.

I MEAN, THE KIDS LOVED IT.

THEY'D ALWAYS, "OH, THANKS SO MUCH, MR.

BRYANT."

CURRY: SHERIE ALWAYS KNEW LEFTY WAS A PASSIONATE CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, BUT ACCORDING TO FANYA AND SOMESHA, HIS WORK CAUSED HIM TO HIDE A BIG SECRET.

WE WERE RAISED WITH HIM TELLING US THAT HE WAS AN ONLY CHILD, THAT HIS NAME WAS LOUIS BRYANT.

AND SO ONE TIME, HE'S LIKE, "WAIT.

"YOU HAVE TO KNOW THAT MY REAL NAME ISN'T LOUIS BRYANT.

IT'S IRVING ADAMS."

WHAT?

YEAH, AND WE WERE LIKE-- AND HE HAS 11 SIBLINGS.

AND HE'S GOT 11 BROTHERS AND SISTERS.

I FOUND HIS LAST LIVING SISTER RIGHT BEFORE SHE HAD PASSED.

MM-HMM.

IRVING WHAT?

BOTH: IRVING ADAMS.

WHAT HE TOLD US WAS THAT SOMETHING HAPPENED IN SOUTH CAROLINA WHERE IT WAS SOME... A CLC MEETING.

MEETING, AND A BOMB WAS THROWN IN A HOUSE, AND THEN HIS GRANDMOTHER SAID THAT "YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOUR NAME, AND YOU NEED TO LEAVE," AND SHE TOLD HIM TO NEVER TELL ANYBODY WHO YOU ARE BECAUSE THEY WERE--FEARED FOR HIS LIFE, I GUESS.

CURRY: SECRETIVE TO THE VERY END, IT SEEMS LEFTY DISGUISED HIS IDENTITY FOR ALMOST HIS ENTIRE LIFE, BUT IT DIDN'T STOP HIM FROM BEING A DEVOTED FAMILY MAN.

MY MOM, YOU KNOW, DID THE 9:00-TO-5:00 JOB, AND THEN MY DAD DID, LIKE, JOBS WHERE HE COULD BE HOME WITH US, YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN?

LABEDIS: YEAH.

SO HE TOOK US TO SCHOOL.

WE NEVER REALLY JUST STAYED HOME, SO WE WOULD GO AND HE'D TAKE US TO THE CITY COLLEGE AND WE WOULD PLAY TENNIS OR WE'D RUN...

GOLF OR-- GOLF, WHATEVER, SOME KIND OF ACTIVITIES.

I DID NOT THINK OF HIM IN THAT KIND OF A PLACE AT ALL-- GOLF?

YEAH.

HA HA!

TENNIS?

YEAH, HE WAS VERY, LIKE, INTO US BEING EXCEPTIONAL STUDENTS, AND WE HAD-- WE--ATHLETICS WAS GOING TO GET US SCHOLARSHIPS TO GO TO COLLEGE, AND SO THAT KIND OF WAS HIS FOCUS.

LABEDIS: IT IS HARD FOR ME TO THINK OF LEFTY AS A FATHER.

I NEVER SAW HIM IN A ROLE LIKE THAT, BUT IT'S HEARTWARMING TO SEE THAT HE HAD...

SUCH JOY FROM HIS GIRLS.

FOR SOMEBODY TO REACH OUT LIKE THAT FROM HIS PAST, TO SAY, "HEY, YOU MEANT SOMETHING TO ME," IT WOULD HAVE BEEN GOOD FOR HIM.

CURRY: HISTORY BOUND THESE PEOPLE TOGETHER WITH TIES STRONG ENOUGH TO SURVIVE DECADES OF SEPARATION.

NOW THAT THEY'VE FOUND EACH OTHER, A NEW CHAPTER CAN BEGIN.

OH, MY GOD!

CAULFIELD: TO HAVE SOMEONE THAT CAME INTO YOUR LIFE AT THAT TIME, THAT... YOU MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIFE IS JUST OVERWHELMING, MIND-BOGGLING.

LABEDIS: THE GIRLS ARE DELIGHTFUL.

I MEAN, THEY'RE THE KIND OF PEOPLE THAT I WOULD LIKE TO BE FRIENDS WITH.

CORTEZ-TODD: TO SAY YOU'RE IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, AND "I'M HERE TO TELL YOU HOW YOU WERE IMPORTANT TO ME," AND YOU DON'T ALWAYS GET A CHANCE TO DO THAT.

- [Narrator] Next time, a young gay man in the 60s searches for the woman who helped him come out.

- To be gay was to be the worst thing in the world.

Back then they equated gay with being a child molester.

- And a student leader who stood up to homophobia looking for the man who inspired him.

- The governor wrote, "We will not tolerate sexual deviants and filth on our campuses."

♪♪ ANNOUNCER: "WE'LL MEET AGAIN" IS AVAILABLE ON DVD.

TO ORDER, VISIT SHOPPBS.ORG OR CALL 1-800 PLAY-PBS.

ALSO AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD ON iTUNES.

IS THERE SOMEONE FROM YOUR PAST WHO YOU WANT TO MEET AGAIN?

SHARE YOUR STORY AT PBS.ORG/MEETAGAIN.