Local Parishoner Reflects On Living In A Segregated World

PHILADEPHIA (CBS) - The Archdiocese of Philadelphia held its 28th annual interfaith prayer service Sunday afternoon at St. Malachy Church in North Philadelphia. One parishioner in particular was touched by the service and recalled her youth in the South.

The air was heavy with the aroma of incense and Marion Mitchell's heart was full. She grew up in North Carolina in a segregated world. Mitchell said, "I grew up in the era when Martin Luther King was making his speeches. I lived in an area where I drank from the black water fountain, went to the black bathrooms, rode past the white schools."

Now, years later, there she was in her parish church, a world away. "With people from all religions, all colors, all faiths," Mitchell said, "And it's got me all upset and happy. It's just a blessing for all of us, because we are trying hard to be in unity with each other."

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Reported by Molly Daly, KYW Newsradio