Integration of Rockdale County Schools
Mr. Gagnon, History 3090
Chris Corless, Oct. 31
Fall 2004
Integration of southern schools became a reality in the
fall of 1969. The process, painful and
degrading at times, followed the general trend of school desegregation in the
The
Supreme Court’s decision in the 1955 Brown v. Board of Education in
The
desegregation of my home school system,
Many
factors contributed to the reported smooth transition in
All said; existing educational programs prior
to 1969 did not meet the 1955 Federal Court decision. Remaining discussion will occur in reflection
of Rockdale’s integration of the Public Education System. These changes came after the current system of
“Freedom of Choice”, or token integration, would not meet future enforcement of
federal regulations. Rockdale eliminated
its dual system of education in response to the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and
Green V. New
“Suddenly J.P. Carr needed eight more teachers and
two more guidance counselors to accommodate the size of the student body; a
Supervisor to devise an arts program; a full-time supervisor to devise an arts
program; a full-time music teacher for all students in the elementary grades;
courses in journalism; speech and creative writing; Spanish classes; courses in
economics, sociology, and home and family life.” [xi]
Prior to Rockdale county
school boards assessment in 1967, improvement’s had already been made to the
dual system and J.P. Carr in 1965-1966.
The educational system was reported to be one of the better models for
performance. While Rockdale may not have
achieved the highest educational standards, it was ahead of many. Rockdale did make efforts to upgrade black
schools even if it was to prove separate could be equal. In fact, in 1967 twelve visitors from
The
first colored children entered the all white
Local
officials succumbed with rising pressure to adhere with the 1954 ruling by
little more than lifting explicit State policies that require separate schools[xvi]. This was a step towards the original Federal
ruling of Brown in 1954 not uncommon for Southern School districts that in the
1960’s. While this gave students the
legal right to apply to any school of their choice, it gave county officials
the right to deny that student request and power to draw school districts. What had been labeled desegregation in effect
was token integration. By and large,
black and white students still attended schools that reflect their racial
majority. The fact is that some blacks
chose to attend white schools and no whites chose to attend black schools. Bottom line, slowly facilities of all schools
began to improve towards federally demanded regulations.
In
Feb. of 1965, the school board sought county approval for 156,000.00 to meet
the demands for the county to achieve quality education. Some members of the community were concerned
with the increasing education budget demands at the expense of security,
however the local news paper advised the community that, “We feel that the
majority of the people of Rockdale County want these improvements and are
willing to pay for them. It is necessary
that we prepare a budget in the very near future for 1965-66 as required by
law.” [xvii]
The Board of Education further went to
say that they thought their estimate was felt to be a minimum. They also published their proposed guideline,
to evaluate each school…
“1.) Is the budget adequate?”
“2.) Are teacher’s salaries high enough to get and
keep good teachers? Are they competitive
with comparable communities?”
“3.) Are the school buildings safe, clean, and
spacious?”
“4.) Are the materials adequate?”
“5.) Is the curriculum geared to current needs with
adequate preparation for college entrance and vocational competence for pupils
not planning to enter college?”
“6.) Are there facilities for Art and music?
Recreation and Physical Education?”
“7.) Are counseling services adequate?”
“8.) What use is made of new concepts of teaching?”
“9.) Does the school system promote parent interest
and cooperation?”
“10.) Are the parents realistic enough to promote a
budget sufficiently large for the
demands which they themselves make for their children?” [xviii]
Leaders form the Black community of Rockdale
met with members of the Board Of Education and official minutes of the meeting
follows,
“It was generally agreed that , as evidenced by the
general tone of the meeting, that it was of the general consensus of opinion
that both races can work together in harmony in solving the problems presented
by the adoption of this plan, without outside pressure of influence.”[xix]
The U.S. Department of Education approved the
Board’s June 1965 proposal that instituted a Freedom of Choice program, defined
registration guidelines, and set transportation requirements. The submitted plan also stated that teachers,
staff, and faculty will continue to be desegregated. The final section cut off transfer students living
outside school districts from acceptance, and transferring students will not be
furnished tuition or transportation by the district. [xx] In effect, this provided a plan in order to
comply with the upcoming mandates and receive federal funding. It was the chance that the federal government
was waiting for.
In direct response to the Brown V. Board
decision the south pledged massive resistance.
Our Governor Tallmadge pledged his opposition to civil rights and quoted
in The Conyers News,
“We condemn outside interference and the usurping of
purely state rights by the Federal Government and that we pledge our support
and Co-operation with the Southern members of Congress in opposing this
unconstitutional legislation by every means at their command; and be it
resolved that a copy of this resolution be sent to each member of the Congress
of the United States.”[xxi]
The “Southern Manifesto”
was also written and signed in this year declaring that federal court had
overstepped its authority and amended the constitution without express consent
of the people. Integration proved to be painstakingly slow, and met
insufficient funds when actually issued.
In one source it was reported that, “Board of Education minutes show
that months could go by without the board members discussing the black
schools.”[xxii]
In
July of 1958, the colored school name was changed to J.P. Carr after being opening
at a different location for six years. This
new colored school, formerly known as
The
original facilities were expanded in 1946 when used military barracks were
moved to the school campus of
By
and large, black and white students still attended schools that reflect their
racial majority. Segregation is two
sided. You didn’t hear the white folk complain about being in the majority
until improvements had to be paid for out of their pockets. Without the strong de facto applications to
repealed de jure legislation, I don’t think the federal government could have
pulled it off. Brown V. Board did
accomplish the gradual break down of impenetrable state legislation in direct
opposition of federal mandates. That’s
why Brown I and Brown II had the sharpest teeth of all. The local officials voluntarily repealed acts
of State legislation for Federal grants.
Citizens were tired of paying for the improvements of colored education,
and they had been dodging the Feds for a long time. I think people really feared this integrated
system, and even personally invested in the illusion that it would stand the
way it had been for generations before.
Prior regional plans to desegregate were not genuine in purpose. State governments were trying to take Federal
grants to further strengthen anti-desegregation constructs. The state capitol had been busy all those
years between Federal mandates. The
Black American had been persecuted, disciplined, and denied civil liberties for
well over 200 years. “Redemption” had to
be empowered by the same institutions used to institute and restrict past,
present, and future civil right infringements. Who would have ever dreamed that one day…?
http://www.naacp.org/index.html
In
action and writing history: timelines
Georgia
Departmant of Education
http://www.rockdale.k12.ga.us/index.htm
Rockdale
County Public Schools
http://mtf.home.mindspring.com/newspap.htm
Newspapers
on microfilm at Nancy Guinn Library
http://www.georgiaeducation.org/councils/councils.html
Local
School Councils
http://www.jimcrowhistory.org/
African-American
experience of segregation
[i] “Rockdale
School Board Announced Plans for Fall Desegregation,” The Rockdale Citizen, 30
January 1969, p. 1.
[ii] “Rockdale
Divided into Three School Zones,” The
Rockdale Citizen, 29 May 1969, p. 1&7.
[iii] “Only Two Teachers Short,” The Rockdale Citizen, 4 September 1969,
p. 1.
[iv] Georgia Statistics System: Time Series Analysis, “Population, Black,
Percent, 1930-2000”; available from http://www.georgiastats.uga.edu
Internet; accessed 25
October 2004.
[v] Barksdale,
Margaret, E.L. Cowan, and Frances King, A
History of
[vi] Laura Young, interviewed by
author, 28 October 2004,
[vii] Heritage
Book Committee, Ed. The Heritage of
[viii]
Ibid
[ix]
“High Schools To Graduate 167,” The
Rockdale Citizen, 29 May 1969, p. 1.
[x]
Caroline Hendrie, “Lessons of a Century: The Struggle For Integration,” Education Week 18, no. 28 (March
1999): 1-13.
[xi] Heritage, The Heritage of Rockdale, 29.
[xii] “Visitors
from
[xiii] Bonie Thompson, interviewed by
author, 25 October 2004,
[xiv] Heritage, The Heritage of Rockdale, 29.
[xv] Young, interview, 28 October 2004.
[xvi] Hendrie, “Lessons of a
Century”, 7.
[xvii] “School Board Asks for
156,000.00,” The Rockdale Citizen, 25
Feb. 1965, p. 1.
[xviii] “School
Board Proposal Approved,” The Rockdale
Citizen, 25 March 1965, P. 1.
[xix]
“School Board Adopts Desegregation
Plan,” The Rockdale Citizen, 20 May 1965, p.1.
[xx] “Rockdale
Gets Approval on School Desegregation Plan,” The Rockdale Citizen, 15 July 1965, P. 1 & 14.
[xxi] “Resolution Condemning Civil Rights
Adopted,” The Conyers News, 29
October 1957, p. 1.
[xxii] Heritage, The Heritage of Rockdale, 29.
[xxiii]
Ibid. 28.
[xxiv] “Conyers Lions Club Puts Approval on Bond
Issue For
[xxv] Heritage, The Heritage of
Rockdale, 28.
[xxvi] Ibid.