Christie Dalton

The Desegregation of the Clarke County School System

In the 1952-1953 case of Brown versus the Board of Education the United

States Supreme Court ruled that separate was not equal. This ruling also

stated that denying any child entrance into a public school based on race

was a violation of the laws granted to them in the Fourteenth Amendment. The

exact ruling of this case states that,

“Segregation of white and Negro children in the public schools of a State solely on the basis of race, pursuant to state laws permitting or requiring such segregation, denies to Negro children the equal protection of the laws guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment -- even though the physical facilities and other "tangible" factors of white and Negro schools may be equal.”

The ruling of this case sparked the movement for the desegregation of the public school systems. However, it was not until 1955 when the Supreme Court called for the enforcement of the desegregation of public schools demanding that the changes take place swiftly, that school systems across the United States started to make any changes. As the integration of public schools began so did opposition and resistance against integration. Many problems arose out of desegregation and what was hoped to be a quick change soon developed into a lengthy part of the Civil Rights Movement. Though many states resisted the desegregation of their public schools the Southern states seemed to be the most resistant. Even in 1960 many of the deep-south states still had their segregated schools. <!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]-->

     The Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling affected everyone’s way of life; it was an inevitable change that many people resisted, but in the end was finally accepted. In every county the public school system experienced their integration differently, but it was an experience that changed public schools forever. Athens, Georgia experienced integration as a slow and controversial process that took close to eight years to fully complete. Though, Athens did not need to have police constantly posted at their schools for security they did however have their share of difficulties.  Just like any other schools that were being integrated the Athens schools had a lot of issues and a hard time dealing with the changes. However, the Athens schools were able to avoid uncontrollable conflicts, and any issues that arose were worked through with difficult compromises made by both conflicting parties involved. <!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]-->

     In the 1950’s Athens had two black high schools and four black elementary schools. The black high schools which were known as Athens High and Industrial School contained grades eight through eleven, and the four black elementary schools which were known as Reese Street, East Athens, West Athens, and Newton contained grades one through seven. Athens also had one white high school and four elementary schools. The white high school that was known as Athens High contained grades nine through eleven and the four white elementary schools were known as Barrow, Chase, College Avenue, and Oconee. However, in addition to the white high school and elementary schools there was also a white junior high. Comparing the black and white schools of Athens it was obvious that the white schools were the schools that received all the funding.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]-->

     The black schools of Athens received very little funding and what little they did receive was no where near enough what was required to properly run a school. In the 1955 and 1956 school year the Clarke County School system paid a total of $333,278 to white female elementary school teachers, a paid a total of $163,351 to black female elementary school teachers. The same discrepancy appeared in the High School as well the White female teachers receive a total of $133,877 while the black female teachers received only $ $57,904. A total of $120,541 was spent on maintenance in the white schools and nothing was spent on the maintenance of the black schools. In every area the black schools were shorted and there was no way to improve the conditions of the schools. <!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]-->

The black schools had fewer teachers and the teachers they had were not paid what the teachers of the white schools were paid. The black schools seemed to always receive everything second hand. There were second hand books, teaching and learning materials, desks, and even a second hand education that was due to the lack of materials needed to properly teach the students.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[5]<!--[endif]-->

In 1955 when the Clarke and Athens School Systems first received legislation to merge their two school systems into one there was resistance and bit of procrastination or rather slowness to take action. The legislation called for equalization of the two School Systems, and upon completion the Athens School System that had been created in 1885 ceased to exist. All schools were now under the supervision of the Clarke County Board of Education. Once all the schools had been consolidated into the one School System there was an elimination of the black high school Industrial High in Winterville, and also the elimination of small black county schools. Though the merging of the two Athens School Systems took place at the same time schools were starting to be integrated the new Clarke County School System made no effort to integrate or even improve the conditions of the black schools. At this point in Athens history it appeared that the Brown versus the Board of Education ruling would have no affect on the Athens School System Operations. The black schools would have to wait close to thirteen years before any noticeable or significant changes were accomplished.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[6]<!--[endif]-->

Clarke County experienced their first school integration in 1961 when the Untied States admitted two black students into the University of Georgia by court order, but this had no affect on the public School Systems and they remained segregated until 1963. In 1963 with pressure from the Government and even more pressure from the local NAACP the Clarke County Board of Education finally approved five of seven black girls to be admitted into the white school system. Wilucia Green, Marjorie Green, Agnes P. Green, Bonnie Hampton, and Scott Michael Killian were the first to integrate the white school system in Clarke County. Wilucia Green attended the Athens High School, Marjorie Green, Agnes P. Green, and Bonnie Hampton all attended the Childs street elementary school, and Scott Michael Killian attended the Chase street elementary school. Each girl faced a different fear of attending a white school and each girl had a different experience, but at the same time they all knew what the others were going through. Wilucia, Agnes, Marjorie, and Bonnie all recall their experiences and being unpleasant at the least.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[7]<!--[endif]-->

Wilucia Green was afraid to start school so on the first day of class she decided not to go. Wilucia says she can recall that there was some concern for her safety among her parents and school officials, but when she finally went they made her enter the school through a side door so no one would see her. The entire year of her attendance she was not allowed to use the restroom and she was always set apart from everyone else. Agnes, Marjorie, and Bonnie all attended the same school but that did little to stop the verbal abuse and the feelings of hate directed toward them. The three women say there it might have been easier if they had all been put in the same class together but instead they were split into different classes. The women all agreed that just knowing that someone in that same building was feeling and experiencing the exact same things made it a little easier to bear. All the girls could remember the boys being the meanest and most of the girls just being mean so no one would say anything to them. In P.E. the girls would actually speak and be nice, but it was only because no one was around to see them. For any of these four girls s simple smile or hello was would mean the world to them, but they seldom received either because people did not want to be known as the people who were nice to the black girls. These women were the first to break the black and white barriers in the Clarke County School System and they also had to deal with the issues a lone, but they were able to contribute to the integration efforts in the Clarke County School System.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[8]<!--[endif]-->

     Motivation to increase school desegregation in the Clarke County School System came through an enactment by the United States Congress of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This document changed every thing. Desegregation was no longer a pesky problem that could be pushed aside and forgotten, or put off any longer. Title IV now placed the duty of ridding the education world of dual school systems up to school officials and boards of education. If these orders were ignored then the schools would not be eligible to receive any federal funding for either desegregation funds or any other regular federal funded programs.  Planning for the desegregation of the school system would require that every aspect of the school system be reformed and the plans for the school would have to be approved by the Department of Health, Education, and Well-fare in order for the schools to receive any federal funding what so ever.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[9]<!--[endif]-->

     In the 1968 and 1969 desegregation plans for the Clarke County School System it was required that elementary students who lived in outlying areas would have to attend specific or designated schools and the students who lived in local areas would be give “freedom of choice”, (meaning that they would be allowed to choose which school they wanted to attend). Freedom of choice was also applied to Junior High and the two High Schools. The plan for the following school year 1969-170 was to have as many children walking to school as possible. This plan was shot down by Washington and they were advised to create a new plan as soon as possible. After some work a compromise was made and the schools opened in the fall of 1969 with no restrictions on race. The schools openings were successful there were no boycotts or any other incidents. For the first time in Clarke County there was a racial mix that throughout the school system came to thirty percent black and seventy percent white.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[10]<!--[endif]-->

     The integration of the Clarke County School System seemed to have few problems and it was not until the spring of 1970 that there were any issues to even show more than normal worry. In the spring the students of Burney-Harris (the old black High School) realized that they would no longer have a black school after the year was over. Though the schools had already integrated they knew that following year there would be more white kids than black kids attending Burney-Harris. The Students felt that Burney-Harris had been their school and they felt a sense of loss knowing that the next year they would become a minority, and that they would feel out of place in the only school that they had ever felt comfortable in. The students discussing the situation were asked to go to their classes but they refused and left the school. The group of students then went to Athens High where they met several other students, and then they all proceeded to go into the Athens High School. Following this several students were attacked and many fights broke out and there were also many acts of vandalism committed. This day was known as “Rowdy Thursday”, and because of this day noticeable changes were finally made. “Rowdy Thursday” was a day that scared every one in an interview with Denise Brown and Janis Dalton they both could recall being afraid to even go into the lunch room over the next few weeks. They both agreed that the first year was hard for everyone, and that if it was scary for them it have been scary for everyone else. <!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[11]<!--[endif]-->

  In response to “Rowdy Thursday” a group of kids from both schools were chosen to represent their school and find a compromise so the two schools could become one. Together the students and administrative board decided that they would rename the high school, they make the school colors representative of both schools (one color from each school), and the assistant head coach for football would be black. These were just a few of the many changes that were made, but they seemed to satisfy everyone. When Athens High opened in the fall of 1970 the school opened under the new name Athens High and it opened with no incidents.<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[12]<!--[endif]-->

Clarke County was not the only school system to have problems with the integration school systems across the United States were having issues. One particular school system was in Charlotte North Carolina. The school system in Charlotte had problems very similar to the problems that the Clarke County Schools faced. Both schools began to integrate at the same time and like Clarke County, the Charlotte School Systems were also forced to integrate. The Charlotte School System handled the forced integration much like Clarke County did Charlotte started to integrate but only on a small scale. Charlotte’s integration was a slow process, but like every other public school system it was eventually integrated. <!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[13]<!--[endif]-->

     The desegregation of the Clarke County School System was a difficult transition for everyone involved, but it was the best thing that could have happened. Through this many people had their eyes opened to what could be, and it made people realize the importance of equivalency among different races. The desegregation of public schools taught lessons that could be learned in no other way. No one can say that integrating the public school systems was an easy task, but no one can say that they didn’t learn any thing out of having to live through that time period. The desegregation of the Clarke County School System took a long time, but the time that it took turned out to be well worth the effort.

http://www.brownvboard.org/ - This is the web page I used to get some information from on the Brown vs. the Board of Education case.

http://www.clarke.k12.ga.us/home/index.jsp;jsessionid=ajJ04iDdvWpd

 This is the Clarke County School district homepage. 

http://www.naacp.org/ - This is the NAACP homepage that gives information about the Civil Rights movement.

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<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]--> Brown V. Board, “In Pursuit of Freedom and Equality: Brown V. the Board of Education of Topeka,” available from http://www.brownvboard.org/ Internet; accessed 2 November 2004.

James T. Patterson, Brown v. Board of Education A Civil Rights Milestone And Its Troubled Legacy (Oxford University Press, 2001)

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[2]<!--[endif]--> Brown V. Board, “In Pursuit of Freedom and Equality: Brown V. the Board of Education of Topeka,” available from http://www.brownvboard.org/ Internet; accessed 2 November 2004.

“The carrot and the stick: Clarke County school desegregation, 1963-1971,” Athens Banner Herald, 2 December 2001.

“Metamorphosis of the Clarke County public schools system,” Athens Banner-Herald, 28 October 2001.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[3]<!--[endif]--> “Metamorphosis of the Clarke County public schools system,” Athens Banner-Herald, 28 October 2001.

Department of Education, 84th and 85th Annual reports of the Department of Education to the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Report on Georgia Schools 1955-1956.

James T. Patterson, Brown v. Board of Education A Civil Rights Milestone And Its Troubled Legacy (Oxford University Press, 2001)

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[4]<!--[endif]--> Department of Education, 84th and 85th Annual reports of the Department of Education to the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Report on Georgia Schools 1955-1956.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[5]<!--[endif]--> Department of Education, 84th and 85th Annual reports of the Department of Education to the General Assembly of the State of Georgia, Report on Georgia Schools 1955-1956.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[6]<!--[endif]--> “Metamorphosis of the Clarke County public schools system,” Athens Banner-Herald, 28 October 2001.

“The carrot and the stick: Clarke County school desegregation, 1963-1971,” Athens Banner Herald, 2 December 2001.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[7]<!--[endif]--> “The integration of Clarke County Schools,” Athens Banner-Herald, 6 September 1992, sec. D, p. 1, 8.

“Local NAACP branch aims to renew the fight,” Athens Banner-Herald, 1 December 2002.

James T. Patterson, Brown v. Board of Education A Civil Rights Milestone And Its Troubled Legacy (Oxford University Press, 2001)

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[8]<!--[endif]--> “The integration of Clarke County Schools,” Athens Banner-Herald, 6 September 1992, sec. D, p. 1, 8.

“Metamorphosis of the Clarke County public schools system,” Athens Banner-Herald, 28 October 2001.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[9]<!--[endif]--> “The carrot and the stick: Clarke County school desegregation, 1963-1971,” Athens Banner Herald, 2 December 2001.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[10]<!--[endif]--> “The carrot and the stick: Clarke County school desegregation, 1963-1971,” Athens Banner Herald, 2 December 2001.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[11]<!--[endif]--> “The carrot and the stick: Clarke County school desegregation, 1963-1971,” Athens Banner Herald, 2 December 2001.

Janis Dalton. Interview, 25 October 2004, by Christie Dalton.

Denise Brown. Interview, 25 October 2004, by Christie Dalton.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[12]<!--[endif]--> “The carrot and the stick: Clarke County school desegregation, 1963-1971,” Athens Banner Herald, 2 December 2001.

“Metamorphosis of the Clarke County public schools system,” Athens Banner-Herald, 28 October 2001.

<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[13]<!--[endif]--> Stephen Samuel Smith, Boom for Whom? (State University of New York Press, 2004)

James T. Patterson, Brown v. Board of Education A Civil Rights Milestone And Its Troubled Legacy (Oxford University Press, 2001)