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.”
