The untold school integration stories

In my home town of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, my grand parents had 6 children. Of those 6 children, 4 of them were educated in a segregated school system. The two youngest spent the first half of their education in a segregated system and the second half in an integrated system.

We often focus on the high profile situations relating to integration that materialized after the U.S. Supreme Court Case “Brown v. Board of Education”. Cases like the integration of the University of Alabama, the University of Mississippi, or the Little Rock (Ark) Central Nine.

But there are countless stories of trauma and experience we don’t talk about as it relates to this experience.

My Aunt Berniece (my grandmother’s sister) was the head secretary (Principal’s secretary) for the All black High School, South East High School. However, when the schools were integrated, she was relegated to the lowest secretarial position. She was given menial tasks to perform. She was ridiculed by her white colleagues. She endured and persevered in silence. By the time, she had retired, she had attained the position of Head Secretary.

Several years ago, I had a chance to speak with one of my two uncles who had spent the first half of his educational experience in segregated schools. According to him, his grades plummeted when the schools integrated. In addition, he was constantly in fights.

Recently, I spoke with my other uncle who had experienced integration. He indicated that he got called the “N” word so much that he had to learn how to selectively tune out the noise.

It’s important to remember we still have segments of our society who endured unimaginable trauma dealing with those people who did not want to integrate and were willing to do anything possible to prevent it. And it is important to also remember that the people who committed those atrocities are still here. And the people who endured this atrocities are still here.

Capture all of these stories. These stories shape our life experiences and historical experiences.

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