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The Fire Down Below

By Elizabeth Vega April 18, 2001

Robert Vickers heard it on the radio as he was pulling out of his driveway: "The Rev. Martin Luther... More >>>

7 Images

Claire and Robert Vickers, in a late-'50s photo, with their children Eric, Bobby and Steve. All three kids were born at Peoples Hospital, an all-black hospital in St. Louis.

Robert Vickers, in the mid-'70s, with Eric, Bobby and Steve in their University City home. The family's move in 1967 to an all-white neighborhood was greeted with a burning log tossed through their living-room window.

Vickers with wife Judy and daughter Erica during happier days, in 1982

One of Vickers' shining moments came on July 12, 1999, when he helped organize 300 protesters who shut down I-70, demanding more contracts for minority firms. "There was so much energy," he says. "We were making history and felt like we all were a part of something greater."

Vickers with the Rev. Al Sharpton, who came from New York City to join the I-70 protest.

In his weaker moments, such as when he failed the bar exam, Vickers has found strength in his Muslim faith: "I really felt like I was getting a message from Allah to keep me strong and moving forward."

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Claire and Robert Vickers, in a late-'50s photo, with their children Eric, Bobby and Steve. All three kids were born at Peoples Hospital, an all-black hospital in St. Louis.

Claire and Robert Vickers, in a late-'50s photo, with their children Eric, Bobby and Steve. All three kids were born at Peoples Hospital, an all-black hospital in St. Louis.

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