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PAGE 10 —Dec. I, 1954 — SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS Missouri ST. LOUIS, Mo. PREDICTION by an assistant United States attorney general that the last vestige of school segre gation “will soon disappear” was the highlight of a national conference held here Nov. 15 and 16. The conference was sponsored by the Committee on Equality of Op portunity in Higher Education of the American Council on Education. After two days of speeches and dis cussions, it adopted a resolution urging colleges and universities, in the interest of desegregation, to ap point Negroes to faculty posts. De feated by a close vote was another resolution to bar from membership in the Council institutions that prac tice racial discrimination in their admission policies. Addressing the opening session, J. Lee Rankin of Nebraska, assistant United States attorney general, re viewed the history of Supreme Court decisions bearing on discrimination in education, and called attention to the Court’s hearings next year on the final order to be issued in the public school cases. Mr. Rankin said: While, of course, we cannot predict what the Supreme Court will do—whether it will order an Immediate end of segre gation or will permit a gradual transition to integrated schools, the end of racial distinctions in the public schools of the nation is in sight. I am confident that its last vestiges will soon disappear, and equally confident that, with the vigorous attacks being made in other fields, segregation when ever it is supported by the state will suffer a like fate. It is a commonplace with lawyers to speculate as to the undisclosed basis for a court decision. As a lawyer, I too have indulged in some speculation. To my way of thinking, the court could not be satis fied with any other decision. In addition to the recognition of the fundamental rights being infringed, the court may well have been influenced by the world position of the United States. How could the United State draw to gether the forces of freedom if other peoples were presented with a domestic panorama of racial discrimination im posed by law, or having the sanction or support of government? Was this not an inescapable challenge to the sincerity of our espousal of the cause of freedom? The national government, as President Eisenhower so eloquently stated in Aug ust 1953, was committed to using its power ‘wherever it clearly extends, to combat and erase racial discrimination and segregation—so that no man of any color or creed will ever be able to cry, ‘This is not a free land.’ How could the Supreme Court impede the march forward? This was 1954, not 1896. And, of course, the Court, in my judgment recognized the evident truths. Nor can it be denied, despite the rantings of the Soviet press, that the court in striking down the shameful spectacle of American youth separated in the public schools solely because of the color of their skins, has significantly advanced the cause of equal rights before the law throughout the world as well as in our own country. ST. LOUIS DISTRICTING On the day of Assistant Atty. Gen. Rankin’s speech, the St. Louis school system took another scheduled step in its program to achieve full inte gration of the city’s 31,000 Negro students by next September. Junior and teachers colleges and citywide special schools having been integrated at the start of this year, the second step was to proclaim new districts governing attendance in high schools, where integration is to take effect with the start of the sec ond semester Feb. 1. The districts were announced well in advance to allow plenty of time for understand ing of and adjustment to them. Heretofore the city has had 7 white and 2 Negro high schools. Dis tricts for the latter each covered roughly half the city. Now the dis tricts for these schools will be much smaller, comparable to the size of the white districts, and boundary lines have been redrawn for the others. In general, the effect of the new dis tricts in combination with the resi dential distribution of the Negro population will be to retain Vashon and Sumner as all-Negro schools, but with much reduced overcrowding, and to add significant Negro num bers to two or possibly three of the previously all-white schools nearest to the central area where most Ne groes live. High schools in the newer sections of the city, toward the outer boundaries, will have few if any Ne groes. Supt. Philip J. Hickey announced that beginning Feb. 1 all students en tering high school for the first time must attend the school in the district where they live. Students now in high school will have an option: they can attend the nearest school, or they can continue attending where they have previously been enrolled, until graduation. The school system reserves the right to cancel the op tion if it causes serious overcrowding. ANTI-DISCRIMINATION BILL While St. Louis’ school integration program proceeds on schedule, the board of aldermen has suddenly come to life with respect to a bill which has been buried in its legis lative committee for five years. This is a bill making it unlawful for ho tels, restaurants and theaters to re strict patronage according to race, creed or color. It has been endorsed by the Mayor’s Council on Human Relations, but never got out of com mittee until leaders of the predomi nantly Democratic board of aider- men promised Negro leaders shortly before the Nov. 2 election to bring it to the floor. The promise was kept when the legislative committee approved the bill Nov. 5. On Nov. 19, however, the board of aldermen defeated it by a vote of 17 to 10. Voting against were 11 Democrats, including the Demo cratic floor leader, and 6 Republi cans. Voting for the bill were 8 Democrats and 2 Republicans. Most downtown hotels are already open to Negroes, this change having come about during the past year as a result of decisions by several na tional conventions not to meet in St. Louis until racial restrictions were eliminated. Restaurants and theaters are spotty; some serve Negroes and some don’t. Some of those who don’t say they would if they were sure their competitors had to go along. So far none of these three commercial groups has made any public protest against the non-discrimination ordi nance. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch, in an editorial entitled “Ready for This Step,” urged its passage. Reports from other Missouri com munities on school integration fol low. KANSAS CITY (pop. 456,000. Ne gro pupils, 10,350 or 16% in total of 64,500). Here is a report on Manual high school, based on observations by a visitor. Manual is a technical high school located in an area now heavily populated with Negroes. It was opened to Negro students with the beginning of the fall term. Integra tion of all Kansas City schools is scheduled to be completed by Sep tember 1955. Enrollment at Manual includes about 450 Negro students in a total of 1,350—about 33 per cent. The teaching staff includes 15 Negroes out of 50. Both teachers and students were transferred from the formerly all-Negro Coles vocational high school, which was converted to a junior high school. The Negro teach ers were placed entirely in trades classes, those in academic subjects being retained at Coles. One former Coles teacher, however, was ap pointed co-ordinator of outside work projects, an administrative position of considerable responsibility. So far, integration apoears to have proceeded smoothly with no serious mishaps. V AND ALIA (pop. 2,600. Negro students, 44 or 6% in total of 700). This north central Missouri town opened its high school to 14 Negro students this year although it retains segregation in the lower grades. A dominant motive was the saving of $8,500 to be realized by not sending Negroes to Mexico, 30 miles away, as in previous years. After more than two months, Supt. J. F. Morrissy reports “not one single complaint” about integration, al though some parents have been heard to utter unfriendly remarks. Teachers were asked to say and do nothing which might encourage in terracial social mixing. Outside of classes the two groups continue to lead separate lives, but in the class room Negroes and whites tend to seat themselves without respect to race. Three of the Negro boys are play ing on the basketball squad. There has been talk among some neighbor ing towns of refusing to play Vanda- lia, but a recent conference meeting unanimously ruled that all members will play each other whether or not they have undertaken racial integra tion. BONNE TERRE (pop. 3,533. Negro students, 9 or 1% in total of 900). There are only 3 Negro high school students in Bonne Terre, which is in the lead mining district 70 miles south of St. Louis. Previously they had been transported to Festus, 26 miles away. Shortly after the Su preme Court decision last summer the board of education announced its intention to end segregation in the high school. White students have gone out of their way to make the change a smooth one, according to Supt. Howard M. Terry. The Negroes are participating in school activities, one being a member of the yearbook staff and another playing on the girls’ volley ball team. The school’s traditional senior tour of the Gulf Coast presents a problem. Since hotels and eating places there will not be open to the one Negro senior, the school is con sidering making some arrangement for her to take a trip by herself. To avoid such an awkward situation in the future, the school officials expect to schedule the senior trip in some other area where all students will be accepted. Negro pupils in elementary grades have been attending a modem school under a well-qualified Negro teacher of 14 years’ tenure. This year they were given the option of attending any school in the district. All chose to stay at the Negro school. Next year the school will be closed, the teacher will become librarian for the school system, and the pupils will be absorbed in other schools. Mean while the system has one integrated kindergartener who is getting along all right. In fact, she is receiving so much attention that the teachers wonder whether it will be good for her. DE SOTO (pop. 5,350. Negro stu dents, 41 or 2% in total of 1,196). Of a total high school enrollment of 385, 13 are Negroes who formerly were sent 17 miles to Festus. After two months, Supt. Harry M. Talbot reports integration working “very satisfactorily.” One Negro is on the football team. Several eat lunch at the school cafeteria. Several have at tended each class party and many attended the one all-school party given by the student council. Says Supt Talbot: Students generally have used their customary good judgment in accepting colored students; adults are perhaps a little slower to accept but, so far as we know, whatever mild resentment existed among adults of either race is diminish ing rapidly. Teachers, of course, have ac cepted the situation well. The one Negro elementary school, with 28 children enrolled, is operating this year by choice of the colored people and the board of education. It is well equipped, conveniently lo cated, with an excellent teacher. No definite plans have been made for next year, but some school officials believe that all concerned would pre fer to see it operate as it does now. CAPE GIRARDEAU (pop. 21,500. Negro students, 110 or 3% in total of 3,260). This Mississippi river town on the northern edge of the southeast Mis souri cotton country has integrated its high school and half of the ele mentary pupils, but for this year con tinues to operate the Negro elemen tary school by request of Negro parents. High school action of some sort was imperative because the Negro high school had been destroyed by fire something over a year ago. The decision to rebuild or not was held up until the Supreme Court opinion came down. The issue was widely discussed and got full attention in the local newspaper, the Southeast Mis sourian. During the summer the board of education decided to admit Negro students to the senior and jun ior high school. There are 23 Negroes in a senior high school enrollment of 840, and 17 in a junior high total of 394. All students ride the same busses. All are entitled to eat at the cafe terias. Supt. Louis J. Schultz reports: The plan is working very nicely. We have had no incidents to make us believe otherwise. The teachers have given full cooperation and the success of the plan is largely due to them. Our general program was to assume an attitude of indifference, and make no spe cial occasion of the change. The students have accepted the Negro pupils and in a few instances Negroes have been elected to home room offices. Although decidely in the minority none of them receives any special notice or attention. Ali col ored pupils are quite well dressed and neat in appearance. In junior and senior high school, some of the colored boys are trying out for the athletic teams. At the elementary level, the board of education had reason to believe that some Negro parents would pre fer to send their children to a school of their own from kindergarten through 6th grade. They were in formed that the Negro school would be opened this year on a voluntary basis, but that Negroes who did not choose to attend there could attend the white school nearest their homes. Thirty-five children having been en rolled at the Negro school, it was kept open with two Negro teachers. The same number of Negro children is distributed among three formerly white elementary schools. ROLLA (pop. 9,300. Negro stu dents, 16 or 1% in total of 1,980). The report from Supt. Don B. Matthews in this central Missouri community, site of the Missouri School of Mines, a branch of the University of Missouri, is brief: “You can say that everything is run ning very smoothly.” Rolla has 10 Negroes in elemen tary grades, 2 in kindergarten and 4 in high school. There have been no difficulties of any kind in absorbing them. Harold Carter, a Negro high school student, has been elected president of his class and is a mem ber of the football team. POPLAR BLUFF (pop. 15,000. Ne gro students, 353 or 9 per cent in a total of 3,821). Twenty-three miles from the Ar kansas border, Poplar Bluff in south east Missouri is maintaining segre gation this year in both its high school and elementary school. With respect to the elementary school, the board of education made it optional with the pupils to attend the school nearest their homes. Twenty-five Negro pupils live closer to white schools than to the Negro school, but all of them chose to continue attend ing the Negro school. Supt. G. R. Loughead explains: About 85 per cent of the Negroes in Poplar Bluff live In one area, where the Negro school is located. There was no pressure whatever from the school board or from individual white people for the Negroes to continue at their school. How ever, there was quite a sentiment among the adult Negroes for the Negro children to attend the Negro school. There were mixed motives for this course. The Negro teachers are a better- paid economic group in Poplar Bluff than almost any other single group of Negroes. The Negro churches and stores are very much interested in preserving the econo my of their group. Also they wish to maintain as large a group as possible for the general social life of the Negro. A reduction in the number of pupils in the Negro school will ultimately result in the reduction of the number of Negro teachers. CARROLLTON (pop. 4,380. Negro students, 32 or 2% in total of 1,251). Integration has been carried out in the high school, but the district con tinues to operate a Negro elementary school pending clarification of the Supreme Court decision. In the high school, Negroes are outnumbered 318 to 12. Supt. W. L. Adams says the transition has been successful, and without incident. The Negroes have been well received by the student body. They take part in practically all school activities. A few have at tended school parties, but have elect ed to accept limited participation in this respect. Some are on the foot ball squad, and a few have had parts in school assemblies. TIPTON (pop. 1,234. Negro stu dents, 24 or 5% in a total of 473). This central Missouri community is still operating its Negro elementary school, enrollment 16, under a Negro teacher who has occupied the posi tion for 28 years. There is no de mand by the Negro community to send their children to the white ele mentary school, according to Supt. Ira E. Grubb. Tipton’s 8 high school Negroes heretofore have been transported 25 miles to Sedalia. They are now go ing to school at home. They ride the same busses with white students. At the start, Negro students and their parents feared discrimination or mis treatment. Supt. Grubb wrote a letter to each, explaining the school board’s decision and calming any fears they might have had. On the first morning at school, Supt. Grubb called an as sembly at which he explained the Supreme Court decision, the duty of law-abiding citizens, and the moral responsibility to be tolerant and courteous. There have been no problems, says Supt. Grubb. When the junior class held its first meeting it elected a Ne gro boy as vice-president and a Ne gro girl as secretary. HOLDEN (pop. 1,765. Negro stu dents, 16 or 2% in total of 606). Eleven Negro pupils continue to attend the elementary school under a Negro teacher who is nearing re tirement age. In high school, the five Negro students have enrolled at Holden this year instead of being sent to Sedalia 50 miles away. Says Supt. Troy E. Himi: We have had no trouble and I think that the greatest factor in our success is the white students themselves. They just simply refused to make a problem out of it and stared down any adult who asked in a hopeful manner if some trouble was about to happen. CALIFORNIA (pop. 2,600. Negro students, 11 or 1% in total of 752). There are 8 Negro pupils in ele mentary grades and 3 in high school in this central Missouri town 23 miles west of the capital, Jefferson City. The elementary school is operating this year as usual, because the Negro teacher was already under contract. The Negroes have been enrolled in the high school for the first time. No complications, says Supt. George Ri ley. The Negro boys attend class parties, skating and movies. One is on the softball squad and on the B basketball team. One is hall monitor. One eats at the school cafeteria. District (Continued From Page 4) lems arising from integration in the schools have met daily the past month. Principals report, however, that the problems have turned into schoolwide issues. For example, at McKinley high, the boys want a mir ror in their washrooms. Late this month, school officials announced that for the remainder of the year, the commanding officer of the integrated Washington High School Cadet Corps will be chosen by lot for each public appearance of the brigade. By this method, the first brigade colonel to serve was a 17- year-old Negro senior from Dunbar High. He led a contingent of the Corps in ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington Cemetery on Nov. 11. No boy will serve twice during this school year in the capacity of CO. In tegration ended the existence of two cadet brigades, which formerly were divided by race. Formerly, each had its own set of commanding officers, a colonel, two majors and a sergeant major, who led the cadets in public appearances and parades. Most for mer white high schools have Negro transfer students in their cadet units now. In the field of private schools, the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation has informed parents that an integration program would begin next fall in the three Cathedral institutions. The governing body of the Foundation said education iff these schools should be offered to children of all races on equal terms and asked the heads of the institu tions to implement this policy as soon as possible. Qualified pupils, without regard to race, color or creed, will be admitted to National Cathedral elementary School in September 1955. (This in cludes nursery through third grade.) The same policy will take effect in 1956 at St. Albans School for Boys and at the National Cathedral School for Girls, both of which offer courses beginning at fourth grade. The three schools have an enrollment of about 1,000 students.