Copyright ghanamma
It was highly unlikely that an African man, during the colonial era, would have been granted an audience, not just anywhere, but to the White House in the United States – the official residence and workplace of the American president, to receive an apology from the most powerful politician in the world. But it happened with a Ghanaian in 1957, when racism was still widespread and deeply entrenched. And that Black person was none other than Komla Agbeli Gbedemah, a Ghanaian politician who was then serving as Minister of Finance in the newly-formed nation of Ghana, under the presidency of Osagyefo Dr Kwame Nkrumah. But the question begs: what actually happened? Well, it was on the evening of October 10, 1957, when Gbedemah and his secretary went to the counter of a Howard Johnson restaurant in Dover, Delaware, USA, to buy orange juice. They were served with the juice alright, however, he was told by the waitress that they could not sit inside the restaurant because he was Black and that “colored people are not allowed to eat in here.” Gbedemah and his secretary had thought they could sit inside the Delaware restaurant that fateful evening and have their drink, but they were barred because of their skin color. Gbedemah even showed the waitress an identity card introducing himself as the Minister of Finance of Ghana, but the waitress would not budge. The manager was called to the scene, but he threw his weight behind the waitress, saying those were the rules. Gbedemah reportedly told the manager: “The [White] people here are of a lower social status than I am, but they can drink here, and we can’t. You can keep the orange juice and the change [from a dollar bill], but this is not the last you have heard of this.” The incident was later picked up by the press and widely reported, spreading through the diplomatic community. It eventually reached the ears of then US President Dwight D Eisenhower, who invited Gbedemah to the White House to offer him an official apology for the racist treatment he had endured and to also sit with him to have breakfast at the White House. Additional reports indicate that Gbedemah, upon honoring Eisenhower’s invitation and arriving at the White House, was given a tour, among other discussions. 3 Attorney Generals ‘divided’ over Torkornoo’s removal
