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PAGE 12 —Nov. 4, 1954 — SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS Missouri THE MAP ABOVE shows the status of Missouri school district policies on integration and segregation during first academic year following Supreme Court opinion. Counties shown in solid black or cross-hatched are those with Negro school population of more than 100 pupils. Black counties are those where school districts covering most of the school population have adopted total or partial integration in some form. Cross- hatched areas represent those counties where school districts covering most of the school population have retained segregation for this year. Black dots indicate school districts in counties with less than 100 Negro pupils which have adopted some form of integration this year. ST. LOUIS, Mo. TVEARLY complete reports re- ' ceived by the Missouri State De partment of Education at Jefferson City show that integration in some form has begun in school districts accounting for 75 per cent of the state’s Negro pupils. This does not mean that three out of four Negroes are now attending formerly white schools. The process of ending segregation in Missouri typically begins at those school levels where the absorption problem is least serious. Hence many Negro pupils in districts which have started desegre gation are still attending separate schools. Yet in most of the districts which have taken the first step it is generally understood that other steps will promptly follow—that desegre gation at all levels will be completed in a year or so. State Commissioner of Education Hubert Wheeler has received reports that integration in some form has be come effective in 110 school districts. STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN Of 466 districts reporting, 289 have no Negro pupils. Of the remaining 177 districts with Negro pupils, 110 or just about two-thirds report they are operating some form of integra tion. These break down as follows: Integrated high school but segre gated elementary school: 58 dis tricts. Integrated elementary schools hut segregated high school: 11 dis tricts. Continued operation of Negro school, but Negro pupils given option of attending other schools: 11 districts. Integration at both elementary and high school level: 30 districts. Altogether, the state has about 63,000 Negro pupils, of whom 44,000 are concentrated in the four largest cities—St. Louis (33,000), Kansas City (10,500), St. Joseph (400) and Springfield (350). In all of these cities desegregation has begun this year. Apart from these cities, the largest concentrations of Negro pupils are found in two regions—“Little Dixie,” and “the Bootheel.” Little Dixie is a bloc of counties straddling the Missouri River in the central section of the state. It gets its name from the fact that it was settled by deep Southerners and even today shows some of the political charac teristics, such as a predominantly Democratic vote, of the South. The Bootheel comprises the south east corner of the state along the Mississippi. It is Missouri’s cotton country. Most of it lies south of Louisville, and some of it south of Richmond. As the accompanying map shows, desegregation has begun in Little Dixie and in the Bootheel, as well as in other sections. In both areas, how ever, the number of Negroes still at tending segregated schools exceeds the number in integrated districts. In the Bootheel some form of inte gration has been adopted by Cape Girardeau (178 Negro pupils), Jack- son (40), Sikeston (430), Bell City (230), Kennett (142) and Malden (75). But segregation has been re tained this year throughout Missis sippi, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Butler counties, with total Negro school enrollment of some 7,500. CENTRAL MISSOURI In central Missouri, integration plans are now in effect in districts with total Negro enrollment of about 1,700, while segregation has been re tained, at least for this year, in dis tricts with total Negro enrollment of about 2,150. Few districts in areas of large Negro school population have unified their elementary schools. Generally, integration starts at the high school level, where the Negro pupils are fewer. In all sections of the state, the first steps toward integration have been taken without incident. As previously reported, one school board in the Bootheel—Clarkton— voted to integrate and then, in the face of parent protest, reverted to segregation. Curiously enough, the neighboring town in which Clarkton has been sending its Negro elemen tary pupils has itself adopted inte gration at the high school level. Like wise the county seat, Kennett, 18 miles south of Clarkton, has inte grated its high school this year, 9 Negroes attending the same school with 363 white youngsters. Supt. H. Byron Masterson of Ken nett reports that “the Negro students have entered into high school life and we have had no problems arising from the situation. The white stu dents readily accepted the colored students, electing one to a senior class office.” The Kennett school board an nounced its decision to desegregate last July, and the public accepted it without protest. Kennett is a town of 8,700 population. Reports from other Missouri com munities follow: SIKESTON. (pop. 11,600; 20 Negro high school pupils in enrollment of 675—about 3%). This Bootheel town, in Scott coun ty, formerly sent its high school pupils to Charleston, 16 miles away. Supt. Lynn Twitty believes that the Sikeston Board of Education was the first in the state to take positive ac tion. It was on June 1 that the board announced that Negro pupils in the 11th and 12th grades would be ac cepted in the Sikeston high school during the coming year. The board acted early in order to give the pub lic three months to think about the matter and to “cool off” if necessary. No cooling off proved to be needed. The general community feeling, ac cording to Supt. Twitty, was that the decision had been wise. “We made no special preparation for entry of the Negro children into the schools,” says Supt. Twitty. “We felt that our student body would ac cept it better if we assumed that their behavior would be correct. “Our assumptions have thus far been correct, in that we have had absolutely no trouble. Our white youngsters have apparently accepted the Negroes as individuals with no particular bias because of their color. “We have found that the reactions of the average high school age youngster are in most cases based on somewhat sounder reasoning than those of many older individuals.” Negro pupils are transported on a separate bus. In elementary and junior high schools, Sikeston has a Negro en rollment of about 400. These pupils continue to attend an all-Negro school. They live in the section near est to the school and thus, in Supt. Twitty’s view, constitute a logical at tendance area. The school which they attend is “equal in every respect to our other schools and in some cases is superior,” says Supt. Twitty. “The elementary children would be permitted to go to other schools if they so desired.” BELL CITY. (pop. 482; 21 Negro high school pupils in total of 196— about 10 per cent). This is another southeast Missouri town, in Stoddard county, about 23 miles north and west of Sikeston. Supt. H. C. Kinder claims that Bell City was the first school in the state to integrate successfully, its session beginning earlier than many districts elsewhere in order to permit a cot- ton-picking vacation in September and October. The high school opened Aug. 9. The school board had decided to in tegrate a month earlier, but made no newspaper announcement, merely passing the word around informally. On the first day, many Negro moth ers accompanied their children to school, evidently fearing trouble. There was none. Two and a half months later, Supt. Kinder reports, “the teachers and students have accepted the Negro students into our student body very graciously. Little mention is made of the situation.” He continued: At one time two girls requested that a separate toilet stool be assigned to the colored girls in the girls’ rest room. This matter was disposed of by saying that this would be segregation. The question came up later in the board of education meeting and was disposed of in the same manner. There have been a few incidents on our crowded school buses. Some of the Negro girls claimed the white boys “jostled” them when the bus started up or stopped suddenly. Some of the colored girls claimed that some of the white boys would occupy a whole seat on the bus so they could not sit down. This only went on one day or so. The boys were called to the office, likewise the colored girls. The matter of integration was thoroughly explained to them and their cooperation requested. This incident only involved four white boys and three of the colored girls. We have heard noth ing further of it. Of course it is not unusual for some of the white boys to jostle the white girls on the bus, to, and give them a little trouble in other ways. Very few parents have even mentioned integration to me. A few stated that they did not like it, but knew that they could do nothing because this would be un constitutional. I have heard of a few families that were bitterly opposed to the change, but they have made no formal complaint to me or to the Board of Edu cation. White and Negro boys play bas ketball together and one Negro will probably make the school team. White and Negro girls play volley ball together. In the study hall, at the library table and in the lunch room, the colored students seem to segregate themselves voluntarily, especially among girls, the boys gen erally mingling more. Bell City is saving $5,000 a year by not sending its high school students to Charleston. The town has 213 Negroes in ele mentary school, out of a total en rollment of 731—a ratio of 29 per cent. The Negroes are attending their own school as usual. None ap plied for admission to the white school. According to Supt. Kinder, “Negro community leaders and some of the parents say they want their own elementary school with Negro janitor, bus drivers and teachers. But they do insist on the school be ing modem and equal in every re spect to the white school.” JACKSON, (pop. 3,700 ; 40 Ne groes in total school enrollment of 998—about 4%). The county seat of Cape Girar deau County in southeast Missouri, Jackson had been sending its Negro high school students to a segregated school in Cape Girardeau, 11 miles away. Last year this building burned. At a joint meeting of the Cape Gi rardeau and Jackson boards of edu cation, it was decided to abolish seg regation in grades 9 to 12. Shortly afterwards, the Negro teacher who had been under contract to the Jackson board of education re signed. This left the board in a po sition to abolish segregation in the elementary schools as well, and this was done. The former Negro school, built in 1947, is now used as a pri mary building for both Negro and white children. “The board received whole-heart ed support from all the churches, civic organizations, clubs and espe cially the parents,” says Superin tendent of Schools R. O. Hawkins. “Integration has been complete in both academic and sports fields. One of the varsity football players is colored, one substitute is colored, and the Junior High team has five col ored players on the squad. “The most important factor is the democratic feeling prevalent in this town. The school people should be given credit, but the townspeople themselves are the ones that should receive the real praise. To some the change has been unwelcome, but everyone has accepted the fact that it is unavoidable and should be faced as the American people have faced their problems in the past—with in telligence and a conscientious effort to iron out difficulties.” INDEPENDENCE, (pop. 36,963; 21 Negro high school students in total enrollment of 2,013—about 1%.) Harry Truman’s home town in Jackson county formerly sent Negro high school pupils to a segregated Kansas City school. Kansas City having begun to end segregation, In dependence this year is integrating its high school students. Acting Supt. O. L. Plucker reports no problems worthy of mention, though he thinks there may be more when unification reaches the ele mentary school level. The Negro students participate in a wide range of student activities in addition to regular classwork, including athlet ics and dramatics. Teachers have accepted the Negroes in mixed classes on the same basis as any white student. Public reaction has been quiet. Although some persons do not approve of the change, there has been no open opposition. Conscious efforts were made to prepare community opinion for the transition. Publicity was given in newspapers to the reasons for the change, conferences were held with Negro staff members and students. All pastors discussed the problem at Sunday morning services, and a joint conference of school patrons and ministers was held to discuss it. COLUMBIA, (pop. 31,974; 501 Ne gro pupils in total enrollment of 2,900—17 per cent.) This central Missouri city is the seat of the University of Missouri, which ended racial restrictions on admission with the beginning of the present academic year. In the public school system, segregation has been ended in theory but in practice re mains effective, due to districting combined with residential distribu tion of the Negro population. The board of education voted last July to permit Negro and white children to attend the secondary schools of their choice. The option applies to junior high or senior high school, grades 7 to 12. The Negro schools continue to be operated, but Negro attendance there is not legally compulsory. Six Negro students chose to attend the formerly white high school, and 110 chose to continue at the Negro high school. At junior high, six Ne groes chose to attend the formerly white school, and 78 continued at the Negro school. On the elementary level, district lines were drawn around the Negro elementary school, which formerly served the whole city. All children who five in this district (all Ne groes) are required to attend the Negro school. Negro children living outside the district were given the option of attending the elementary school nearest them, or continuing to attend the Negro school. The effect is to continue the school in the heart of the main Negro resi dential section as a Negro school. Of the Negroes living outside the dis trict, two have chosen to attend one formerly white elementary school, and 11 to attend another. Four other elementary schools have no Negroes. The situation has recently brought a protest from 35 parents of children at the school where 11 Negroes en rolled. They have asked the board of education either to move the Ne gro pupils out of their school or to see that all other schools also enroll Negroes. The parents said they did not object to integration in high school and junior high, which oper ate city-wide, but did object to the elementary school situation. Supt. Neil C. Aslin says it is too early to draw final conclusions “but it is hoped that the transition can be made gradually and without inci dent.” KIRKSVILLE. (pop. 11,110. 8 Ne gro pupils in total enrollment of 2,000—four-tenths of one per cent.) In northeast Missouri, only 27 miles from the Iowa line, Kirksville had operated a Lincoln school for Negro children until this fall, when the board of education voted to close the school. There are now three Ne groes in one elementary school, four in another and one in the junior high school. “There have been no inci dents and things are going quite well,” Supt. O. Wayne Phillips re ports. “We see the colored parents at PTA meetings.” CARTHAGE, (pop. 11,188. 45 Ne groes in total enrollment of 2,201— 2 per cent.) In southwest Missouri 16 miles from Joplin, Carthage has ended formal segregation in both elemen tary and high schools, although one all-Negro elementary school contin ues to be operated. Negro high school students former ly were sent to a segregated school in Joplin. Now they attend the Car thage school, numbering 12 in an enrollment of 708. One of their num ber has been elected vice president of the senior class and another re porter for the junior class. Both are halfbacks on the football team. At the elementary level, five Ne gro children who live close to one of the white schools have been enrolled in that school. Other Negroes con tinue to attend the Lincoln school, which is nearest to their homes. Two Negro teachers constitute the teach ing staff. “The community, teachers and student body have accepted this nonsegregation plan and there has been no criticism nor any unpleas ant situations,” says Supt. J. L- Campbell. “The Negro children are courteous, polite and considerate of others, and are cooperating in every way.” SPRINGFIELD, (pop. 72,109. 342 Negroes in total enrollment of 12,800 —2 per cent.) As previously reported, this south western Missouri city kept open i* 5 Lincoln school for Negroes but P er ' mitted Negroes to attend a white school nearer their homes if they chose. Slightly more than half en rolled in white schools. Now the firs* Negro teacher has been added to the staff of the formerly all-white jun ior high school, as a librarian. She was transferred from the staff of the Lincoln school as part of a plan of the school board to utilize the serV' ices of 16 Negro teachers now at Lincoln when it is closed next yesf- Another step in desegregation took place when the Parent-Teachers association at Lincoln School becam e a part of the city-wide P.T.A. coun* cil.