School Integration-Just a
Southern Problem?
Christine Adrian
Summer Fellowship, 2007
Annotated list of
Materials and Resources:
Local Champaign Co.
Resources
-This
article points out the housing segregation issue in Champaign, and can be used
as a starting point for discussion.
-In
this article, State Superintendent of Public Instruction declares the need for
integration and recognizes that Illinois is far behind the Mississippi in
regards to school integration progress.
However, he does not say the state is in charge of this progress, but
lays burden on individual schools.
The plan that includes controversially low percentages of blacks in all
white schools is discussed.
-This
1969 public television documentary series examines African American Life in
Central Illinois. In this episode,
school integration is examined. A
Decatur school walkout, desegregation in two Champaign schools and a student
forum are highlighted.
Page 2 News Gazette, February 2, 1967.
Champaign County
Archives, Urbana Free
Library, Urbana, IL.
-This newspaper
clipping describes early tensions in the
-This
front page article chronicles a riot that breaks out at Centennial high school
involving a large number of white students and community members who waited
with weapons for African American students to arrive by bus to school. Many injuries are reported, including a
fractured skull.
-An
overview of the violence that ensued and efforts to return students back to
school are highlighted.
-This
article gives voice to certain Centennial staff who say that the community
climate was the cause of the violence on the 29th of April 1971.
-A
minute by minute account of the riot at Centennial.
-Later
in the year, further fights cause police to patrol halls.
-This
article serves to calm community nerves over any further violence taking place
at Centennial.
-Questions
arise on how the November violence has been handled, and calls come from the
community to remove the principal.
Centennial refuses to comment.
-Calls
for removal of the principal at Centennial get louder as controversy
surrounding the suspended students rise.
-Student
anger bleeds to the middle school population.
-Former
Centennial principal is removed and replaced on an interim basis by Davis. Davis lays out changes he will make to
relieve racial tension at his school.
-The
students involved in the November incident return to school under much
controversy over whether a Òjust sentenceÓ was delivered.
-Teachers
rise up in anger after teens who reportedly assaulted staff return to
school. The issue is racially
charged after a history of violence in April. Many in the community cry that the African American students
in the November incident receive different treatment than the white students
involved in the attack in April.
Tensions rise.
-A
brief article describing the walkout in Decatur schools is described, though
the numbers in this report are much smaller than those reported in the WILL documentary.
-This
report by the WomanÕs League of Voters cites Champaign Urbana as the most
segregated community in the state in terms of housing.
-This
documentary documents the school integration of Champaign unit 4 in the late
60Õs and early 70Õs. Oral
histories are provided through interviews with residents who lived through the
initial integration efforts. The
whole program is available through audio streaming and in transcript form. In addition, related documents are
posted on this website.
-This
Power Point gives an overview of the Current consent decree that was delivered
to Unit 4 regarding racial inequities in the classroom.
-This
PDF is the original document of an oversight committee for the Champaign Unit 4
desegregation plan for 1968.
Problems and inequities are detailed.
-In
chart fashion, student enrollment information by school is provided.
-A
comprehensive guide to the consent decree is given by Champaign Unit 4,
including the history and current progress of meeting the terms of the consent
decree.
Web Pages
-A
fantastic interactive map to start out any unit on Jim Crow Laws/Civil Rights. There are interactive maps that
demonstrate where and what type of Jim Crow Laws were in effect, locations of
Black Colleges and Universities, Population Maps by decade, and an interactive
map showing where lynching and riots took place.
-This
resource would provide important visual information regarding the Civil Rights
Movement.
-This
page gives a high resolution copy of the case, also downloadable in high
resolution PDF.
-This is an excellent site for a
comprehensive look at Brown V. Board.
It includes oral arguments, histories, images and links.
-This site gives a complete look at
Brown V. Board, including a summary of the case, research links, oral histories
and images.
-A printable timeline of School Integrated is presented for use
in Part 2.
-This
site includes a list of digitized news articles on the Chicago School Boycott
that can be purchased online for a nominal fee.
-This
gives a brief summary of the incident and includes documents and pictures
surrounding the event.
-This
site gives a primary source copy of the executive article surrounding the
Little Rock 9 story. Links to
background information are also provided.
-This
gives an optimistic look at school segregation, while pointing out protests and
violence throughout the country.
-Provides
a comprehensive look at the Little Rock Crisis, including primary source
documents as well as secondary sources.
-Provides
story of Ruby Bridges, and information on how to have Ms. Hall speak at your
school, as well as information on her book, Through my Eyes.
-This
article discusses a large New York City Schools Boycott, whose effects are
spreading across the country.
-A
comprehensive guide to the consent decree is given by Champaign Unit 4,
including the history and current progress of meeting the terms of the consent
decree.
-This
gives current statistics regarding Unit 4, including student makeup, test
scores and teacher ethnicity proportions.
-This
article discusses in a brief history the progress made, and the work yet to go
in terms of school desegregation.
National Documents from
the Web:
-Shows
a picture of elementary school children with teacher. This picture is interesting, because there is not much
emotion demonstrated. Students
might try to jump into the heads of the students to postulate on what they
might be feeling during this uncertain time.
-This
picture shows another integrated classroom, this time high school. The same type of emotionless faces is
demonstrated. Are these pictures
staged?
-In
this picture, an integrated elementary classroom is shown. Unlike the other two, this depicts a
classroom where white students were integrated into a traditionally African
American school.
-A
picture of University of Alabama students with confederate flags burning
desegregation literature.
-White
students surround black students entering school in Tennessee.
-White
boys surround girl on way to school, yelling, pointing and laughing at her.
-A
number of troops are visible escorting African Americans from school.
-Riot
ensues after African American student enrolls at Old Miss. Newspaper coverage and photo.
