Realtors refused to sell Etta Roseburr and her husband a house when the couple moved to Casper 54 years ago.

Financially able, the couple were told by one agent that residents, "don't want black people in the neighborhood."

All that changed over time, and Casper grew up, Roseburr said as she sat in her living room surrounded by packing boxes.

Roseburr - or Miss Etta to those who know her - is leaving her home in Casper to go back to Oklahoma, but not without leaving a lasting impression on countless residents.

She helped begin the NAACP branch in Casper, and current NAACP president Jimmy Simmons credited Roseburr with the chapter's continued survival.

"Etta is a community uniter. She has brought together a diverse range of people into our organization," he said. "She is a consensus builder. She just doesn't care what race you are if you are trying to build harmony in the community."

She was active in the NAACP during Martin Luther King's life and death, and remains a passionate supporter of his cause, in turn making others more aware.

Janet de Vries, an NAACP member and Casper College's Career Center Director said Miss Etta's work is an inspiration.

When bad weather fell on a recent Martin Luther King Day, many of the marchers proposed holding the event inside instead of facing wind and snow, de Vries said. Miss Etta refused to go indoors,

"She said, 'We must march, no matter how cold it is. Dr. King marched and died for us. I would do anything for him,'" de Vries said. "Miss Etta knows that it may not be comfortable and maybe it's not convenient, but other people, Dr. King in particular, put their lives out there for us, regardless of our color."

When the NAACP was at risk of losing its status as a chapter with the national organization due to lack of membership, Miss Etta began recruiting everyone she could, ultimately paying more than 30 membership fees herself.

Mel Hamilton, Casper's National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Vice President, described Miss Etta as "the salt of the earth."

"Since I've known her, she's always been one to get the young people involved," Hamilton said. "She has paid for membership of many of the young people. She gives of herself and she doesn't have to do that."

Miss Etta waves her hands and shakes her head when asked about her involvement with the NAACP and the Wyoming Democratic Party. She would rather talk about other people's accomplishments, citing their bravery and courage.

Simmons said Miss Etta has more courage than she humbly presents and will fight endlessly for a cause she believes in.

"When you stand up for justice you are a target," Simmons said. "And she has stepped up to that plate many times."

With little more than a high school diploma, Miss Etta became an unwilling voice in the fight for equality for all people.

"I don't like to speak, there are so many other people who are better than I am," she said.

But because of her down-to-earth and humble nature, Simmons said she was often the perfect voice as she encouraged people to work together and peacefully solve their conflicts.

"People think the NAACP is just for the black people, but we help all people who are discriminated against," she said. "We like to settle things. We like to sit down and talk about it until the problem is solved. Usually it's just one person's problem and people are willing to work with us."

Miss Etta also runs the soup kitchen on Fridays at Christ First Missionary Baptist Church and is a teacher and the superintendent of the church's Sunday school.

She said education is key to solving many of the discrimination problems in the country and she works to make people aware of past and current struggles.

"I don't hate anyone, even after all of this trouble," she said, remembering the countless beatings and deaths during the Civil Rights movement as well as the discrimination she herself faced. "You only hurt yourself when you hate."

Her passion is not limited to the NAACP. She volunteers for both the Wyoming Democratic Party and the Democratic Women's Forum, primarily encouraging people to vote.

"You should vote, and if you don't, you can't complain," she said. Regardless of one's beliefs, she said people need to, "Be part of the solution."

Hamilton said the NAACP will continue after Miss Etta is gone, though she does the work of three or four people and will be difficult to replace.

"In Etta's memory we have to survive," he said. "We owe that much to her."

Reach Christine Robinson at (307) 266-0639 or christine.robinson@casperstartribune.net