INVASION OF THE COLORED PEOPLE
Bob Reiss, from the Re-Echo, Winter 2003

The first black family moved to St. Louis Park in 1952.  Woodfin Lewis, the head of the family, was the first black nuclear physicist in the country.  The Lewis family rented a house on Jersey Avenue in September 1952 after both Lewis and the landlady checked with the neighbors to ensure that they would accepted.  It was not until the family moved in that one or more vocal opponents complained to the landlady.  Those complaints prompted her to serve the Lewis family with an eviction notice.

The eviction notice outraged many people, from the mayor to the City's church membership.  A group of seven young ministers issued a statement in support of the family, and spread their message to many local civic groups.  Finally, the Minneapolis Urban League acted as mediator and convinced the landlady to rescind the eviction.

The Lewis family did not stay long in St. Louis Park for long.  After six months they moved to Minneapolis.  Woodfin Lewis passed away before the decade was out, most likely from the amounts of radiation he was exposed to at his job at a Honeywell research center in Hopkins.

Daughter Ellen Lewis is now a writer in New York, and has written a play about her family's experience that she has named "Invasion of the Colored People."  It is written in a 1950s Sci-Fi movie genre with many humorous touches.  It was given its first reading in New York in January of 2002 and two enthusiastic St. Louis Parkites were in the audience.  It is being reviewed by New York producers.  One day, we may see the story on Broadway or even the big screen.



 

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This information comes from a variety of sources: newspapers, books, yearbooks, phone directories, interviews, etc. Given the varied sources, we cannot guarantee that all of this information is correct, and welcome any additions and corrections. Please contact us with your contributions and comments.