Three generations of black Gainesville residents shared their stories of heartbreak and triumph Thursday evening at Voices: Black History at Scott’s Downtown.

Nathaniel Shelton, Andre Cheek and James Brooks were the guest speakers at the event hosted by The Times.

In 1964, Nathaniel Shelton moved to Gainesville and became a teacher at the segregated E.E. Butler High School.

Shelton started the Gents Club at the school, after he was approached by a group of troublesome boys to be their sponsor.

The 13 founding members included “some of the most mischievous guys in the whole school.”

The group grew to “became a good mixture” of boys, many of whom grew up into fine young men.

As many as 16 went into the ministry, he said. Another went on to win two Pulitzer Prizes.

Shelton said he received an email from another, who was serving in Kuwait.

But by 1970, Gainesville schools desegregated, and Shelton faced a new set of obstacles.

He described integration as “a very turbulent time.”

He created another assembly program at the integrated high school, with the intention of making the transition easier.

Several young women created a modeling group in the program, with the hopes of putting on a fashion show. Shelton said one white girl joined the group, but she never walked in the show.

“She came up the day of the show and told me, ‘Mr. Shelton, I can’t participate,’” he said. “I said, ‘What happened?’ and she said, ‘My parents tore my dress up.’”

But Shelton said, in time, relations at the high school improved.

Cheek, who graduated from Gainesville High School, said Shelton used to drive her to school when she was young.

Cheek said by the time she was a student at Gainesville High, she was accustomed to having white classmates. When she started at Clark College, now Clark Atlanta University, the demographics were very different.

“I had a culture shock,” she said. “I went to a predominantly white high school and then a predominantly black college.”

She was actually homesick for Gainesville at first, she said. But she soon became passionate about learning more of her culture.

She wanted to know more about those who fought for their rights, inspired by the likes of Coretta Scott King.

When she met Andrew Young, she was starstruck.

“I began to just explore,” she said. “To participate in organizations, go on field trips and learn more about things. I’d want to research ‘How did that relate to me?’ I began to see the rich history and the rich culture I was a part of.”

Brooks’ story differs greatly from Cheek’s, but they share the same passionate drive.

In the 1950s, Brooks watched white workers at the tannery in Buford create detailed decorations in fine leather saddles, while he worked as a janitor.

He wished he could do the more skilled work, but as the other employees said, “God didn’t put the black birds with the sparrows.” That’s just the way it was, Brooks said.

In a fierce effort to prove himself, improve his life and provide for his family, Brooks joined the Air Force.

“That was the crucial turning phase of my life,” he said.

He took every opportunity to study, hiding textbooks in his overalls so he could learn as much as he could in his spare time.

He worked hard to climb the ranks as an aircraft mechanic, hitting obstacles along the way.

When he was an Airman Second Class, he was the only black man on his crew. The rest of his crew was promoted to First Class, but he was not.

Brooks was not deterred, giving more than 20 years of service, traveling extensively and climbing to a Technical Sergeant ranking.

Brooks said he appreciates reading the history of the civil rights struggles in Gainesville, because he wasn’t here for it.

“I missed all of it,” he said. “...But I am always interested in the history.”