Giles County School Desegregation

Giles County School Desegregation

The 1960s was a turbulent period of social and political change in the United States, embodied by the desegregation of public schools.  Although the Civil War officially ended slavery, many Southern states enacted laws following Reconstruction to limit the rights of African Americans.  For over half a century the doctrine of “separate but equal” justified the segregation of blacks from services, facilities, and public accommodations used by whites.  In 1954, however, the US Supreme Court declared separate schools for whites and blacks unconstitutional in the landmark decision Brown v. Board of Education, paving the way for desegregation of the public schools and the Civil Rights Movement.

Desegregation of Virginia’s schools began in 1959 and ended in the early 1970s.  A Southern state, once part of the Confederacy, Virginia’s desegregation was often characterized by massive resistance to the court’s ruling, including shutting down public schools in some counties to avoid integration -- but that is only part of the story.

In March 1964 twenty-three courageous students at the all-black Bluff City High School submitted applications to attend the all-white high school in Giles County.   While their names have been forgotten by most, what is known about these students is that they would have been good students with perfect or near-perfect attendance, so that if the Giles County school board denied them admission to the all-white school it could be for only one reason—race.

The school board initially voted to close the all-black schools in the county suggesting to some that Giles County would also resist school desegregation, but on May 15, 1964 – to the surprise of all – the board voted to fully integrate the schools for the following school year.

The media were skeptical that a Virginia school system would voluntarily vote to end racial desegregation or that the citizens would accept this action peacefully.  As the first day of school approached, the media anxiously gathered across the road from Giles High School with cameras ready to chronicle the anticipated violence.  According to local sources, that morning a thick fog rolled in, obscuring the view.  When the haze lifted later that day – and much to the chagrin of the media – it was business as usual in Giles County.  The school system had integrated peacefully.

Many believe that is the end of the story, but it was only the beginning . . .  Seven of Giles County’s African American teachers lost their jobs as a result of school desegregation.  It was commonly assumed that the teachers were not qualified, yet all seven held college degrees.  They subsequently filed a lawsuit against Giles County public schools.  Both the lower and higher court found that the teachers had been discriminated against on the basis of race. However, the remedy in both cases fell short of the teachers’ expectations to regain their positions.

In 1966 the US District Court in Roanoke ruled only that the black teachers could reapply for any teaching positions available in county for which they were qualified, leaving the interpretation of “qualified” up to the superintendant and the school system.  The existing laws at the time were simply inadequate to afford the teachers protections.  At least one teacher was subsequently rehired, while the others found employment elsewhere.  The case of Mary A. Franklin et al v. County School Board of Giles County and P. E. Ahalt, Division Superintendant of Schools of Giles County was cited in numerous cases over the next few years in both Virginia and other states forging new laws on employment discrimination.

  

According to Patricia Jacobs, Executive Director of the Giles County Historical Society, children often perceive “real history” as something that takes place in Richmond or Washington or some world capital.   “They think nothing important ever happens here.  This story, however, demonstrates how the way people of Giles County respond to events can influence policies and decisions and craft new laws, thereby changing history.   Giles County played an important role in the 1960s in regard to both desegregation and employment law.”

Aided by a grant from the Community Foundation of the New River Valley, the Historical Society is launching several oral history projects this summer, including one on desegregation of the public schools. Jacobs says “We are now conducting background research and identifying sources for this project, including members of the local African American community, former students at the segregated school at Bluff City, and white students and teachers at Giles County High Schools.  We are also interested in speaking with those who lived in other areas at the time to compare how their experiences were similar to or different from those living here.”

The ultimate goal is to better understand the factors which led to the voluntary desegregation of Giles County’s public schools, as well as to organize an exhibit in 2014 marking the fiftieth anniversary of that historic event.  “We encourage people to share their experiences and memories for this project and to contact the Historical Society at 540-921-1050.”