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SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—August 1955—PAGE 3
North Carolina s Wake County Takes Far-Reaching Sten
RALEIGH, N. C. J & L*
\\Jake County’s Board of Education,
W in the most far-reaching step yet
taken by any school board in North
Carolina, has declared race and color
# ill not be considered as factors in
the assignment and enrollment of
students, effective with the start of
the 1956 school year. (Wake is the
county of Raleigh, North Carolina’s
capital city.)
The action came in the form of a
unanimously-adopted resolution at a
meeting of the board, county school
officials, and about 50 local school
committeemen.
For the school year starting in
September, the board ruled, students
will attend the same schools they
attended last year. However, any stu
dent who is dissatisfied with his as
signment in September can appeal to
the board.
If the appeal is denied, the student
can go into Superior Court, in accord
ance with the school act passed by
the 1955 General Assembly. Also in
accord with the act, the Wake resolu
tion accepted “complete authority”
over the assignment and enrollment
of pupils.
RESOLUTION
After stating, “No child shall be
assigned to any school in Wake
County on the basis of race or color,”
the resolution added:
“Every assignment of a child to one
of the schools in the county shall be
considered and adjudged individually
on one or more of the following bases:
“A. Age and welfare of the child.
“B. Welfare and best interests of all
other children.
“C. Availability of facilities, in
cluding transportation.
“D. Fitness of facilities, including
health.
“E. Aptitude of the child and cur
riculum adjustments of the school.
“F. Residence of the child.
G. All other factors considered
Pertinent, relevant and material,
effecting either the child or the
schools.”
The resolution, in a county which
has a population that is 29.3 per cent
•fegro, added:
“When in the judgment of the
■bard of Education such assignment
‘ill not violate the principles herein
Provided as a basis for pupil place-
” e nt, it shall be the policy of the
p°ard to follow as nearly as practi
ce the expressed desires of each
rorid with respect to his assignment.”
H 'VE 10 DAYS
, Students who appeal to the board
or different school assignments this
coming September must file the ap
peal within 10 days from the start of
school. The board said it will act on
such appeals, after giving the appli
cant a hearing, “as early as practi
cable.”
Earlier, the Raleigh School Board
had announced segregation would be
continued during the approaching
school year in line with such a rec
ommendation from the Advisory
Committee on Education. This stand
was attacked by a Raleigh Negro or
ganization, the Raleigh Citizens Asso
ciation.
The Rev. G. A. Fisher, association
president, said “Immediate action is
planned” to bring about integration.
He said the board had not shown
“good faith” and its action was “noth
ing less than defiance of the Supreme
Court.”
The recommendation of the Advis
ory Committee—appointed to advise
the Governor, the legislature and
local school boards on segregation
matters—was made after a day-long
conference here. Negroes sat in on the
conference, and participated in dis
cussions, according to a committee
statement.
Gov. Luther H. Hodges praised the
recommendation, made in a report to
him, as “good and sound advice.”
Said the report:
“Upon receiving advice from local
Texas (Continued)
(Continued from Page 2)
^mission on the undergraduate level
ca u be adequately accommo-
, eti or financed. As was announced
: 'roly in a statement issued jointly
p frie chairman of the Board of
er| ts and the president of the
, ersity of Texas on May 17, the
roture by reason of its appro-
. uig insufficient funds to meet in-
e nrollment costs, has, in ef-
j’ glven the university a mandate
J( ^ s htute selective admissions. The
Suitable way of implementing
'■’it > ai,date has been under study,
^ 1 'will be some months before
^university will be able to set up
ip ro a Program. Until such time as
iv 0 j ( j gram has been devised, we must
? changed policy concerning
Sl d .°n °f undergraduates which
"'jj^^tensify the problem of sheer
^ ^ ad °Ption of this recommenda-
'^nti Wou ^ d become the expressed
°f the University of Texas
'■'Siorjj a P° lic y °f selective ad-
^Ually j ased on merit and applied
'^ffin, ad regardless of racial
>?rinin n ° -° m s titute this policy
fL^fh the academic year
*ssi 0tls his policy of selective ad-
“?tl ; n w hich will probably be
> gj v h a rt on entrance examina-
' d * n ot .h to all prospective students
v^nt en eaded to fix any overall
■ * ** dev odment limitation figure
^rial Igned to regulate the phe-
>t in ord arly increase in enroll-
’ >r °eu re er that we may continue
and maintain a competent
professional staff and physical facil
ities for our enrollment without im
pairment of university standards in
teaching, research, and public serv
ices. Unless some kind of fair and
equitable enrollment restriction is
adopted, it definitely will be a finan
cial impossibility and probably even
a physical impossibility to cope with
our rapidly increasing enrollment
without seriously jeopardizing our
educational standards with a resul
tant mediocrity in our education;
such result would be unfair to those
Texas boys and girls who have the
ability and initiative and the required
incentive to get the most out of a
university education.”
NEW PRESIDENT
At Houston, directors chose Dr.
Samuel M. Nabritt of Atlanta Uni
versity to succeed Dr. R. O’Hara La
nier as president of Texas Southern
University. Dr. Lanier resigned re
cently. The board also announced
plans for expanding this state school
for Negroes.
Texas Southern University also
took a step toward desegregation. Its
board ordered a study of possible
revision of entrance rules so white
students also can attend.
At Dallas, Southern Methodist
University announced that qualified
Negro applicants may enroll at its
evening law classes. SMU previously
has allowed Negroes to attend its
school of theology. Mrs. Ruby Braden
Curl, teacher at a Negro elementary
school, was the first to enroll for the
law class.
school administration officials, and
after giving further thought to the
importance of these studies (by local
committees), the amount of informa
tion needed and the time required to
assemble the same, and the time re
quired for school organization, we
recommended to local school adminis
trative units that, if they have not
had time to complete their studies by
the opening of their schools, they
operate during the 1955-56 term with
practices of enrollment and assign
ment of children similar to those in
use during the past school year.”
RODMAN STATEMENT
Atty. Gen. William B. Rodman,
appointed to fill the year and a half
remaining in the term of the late
Harry McMullan (SSN, July), sup
ported the recommendation after at
tending the hearing of the school case
in Richmond, Va. Communities can
operate segregated schools next year
if they begin studies of segregation
problems “with dispatch,” he said.
“Any school board which actually
is studying the problem of how it will
operate that school under the laws of
the United States and of North Caro
lina can well anticipate that they will
not have this year’s operation inter
fered with,” said Rodman.
Meanwhile, Gov. Hodges appointed
the two top administrators for the
Advisory Committee, which is to
establish an office here Aug. 1. As
special counselor and executive sec
retary, he named State Rep. W. W.
Taylor Jr. of Warren County (Ne
groes comprise 62.9 per cent of the
county’s population), 43, an experi
enced legislator and lawyer. As Tay
lor’s assistant, he appointed Thomas
F. Ellis, 35, Raleigh lawyer. Taylor
and Ellis immediately will begin con
ferring with local study groups.
Sitting in Asheville, U. S. District
Judge Wilson Warlick dismissed a
suit seeking construction of a Negro
public school on the grounds that
construction of segregated public
schools is now illegal.
A group of Negro parents in Old
Fort brought the suit against the Mc
Dowell County Board of Education
for construction of the school. There
is no Negro school in Old Fort, and
Negro children are transported to
Negro schools in Marion. This meant,
the parents claimed, their children
did not have “equal educational facil
ities.” The suit did not mention inte
gration.
Judge Warlick held the U. S.
Supreme Court decision outlawed
building a segregated school. Attor
neys for the parents tried to amend
the complaint, but the request was
denied because, Judge Warlick said,
only “an express statement” by Mc
Dowell County school officials that
Negroes would not be admitted to
NEW OFFICIAL
In Raleigh, Gov. Hodges appointed
as the new State Attorney General
William B. Rodman, 66, a leading
lawyer of Washington, N. C., a busi
nessman and experienced legislator.
One of the first court actions in which
he will participate will be a suit filed
by three Durham Negro youths (SSN,
July) who are seeking admission as
undergraduates to the University of
North Carolina.
Rodman said the youths allege they
met the scholastic requirements of
UNC and “my information is that
this is not correct.” The university
for several years has admitted
Negroes to graduate schools if the
instruction they seek is not offered
in State-supported institutions for
Negroes. It has not admitted Negroes
as undergraduates.
“I don’t apprehend,” said Rodman,
“that the courts can direct the Uni
versity to admit anyone. All they can
say is that you shall not refuse to
admit them because of certain condi
tions.
lina General A E s?emh] ON ADVI SORS-Here are th ‘‘ men appointed to advise the governor and the next North Caro-
who dtH tl. ft’ PU, ’ llC , schocl segregation problems. Seated, left to right: Atty.-Gen. Harry McMullan
W T tvne^o a i,l e h G ° V ’ Luther Hodges ’ Chairman Thomas Pearsall of Rocky Mount,
buJ' Sen I, , r’ K ' ?„ HufF T an ‘ >f Morganton. Standing, left to right: Rep. Edward F. Yarborough of Louis-
of Lexh^on f d ° f an ° k * Raplds ’ Sen ' William Medford of Waynesville and Rep. H. Cloyd Philpott
white schools would constitute
grounds for such a suit.
Melvin H. Taylor, McDowell school
superintendent, said, “We expect to
obey the law.” He added he felt “inte
gration is now inevitable” and the
problem “is one of transition. We
hope to carry it out with the least
confusion possible.”
Later, 90 Negro parents in Old Fort
signed a petition asking admittance
of their children in the white school.
The McDowell County School Board
answered the Old Fort school is filled
to capacity and has no space for the
Negroes, but pledged a study of the
situation.
STATE POLICY
The Warlick decision will have lit
tle affect on school construction in
North Carolina, according to John
Cameron, director of school house
planning for the State Board of Edu
cation. Soon after the May 17, 1954,
decision, the state board quit desig
nating school projects as “white” or
“Negro” and it has been allocating
money for projects only when such
projects will be usable either in a
segregated or non-segregated system.
In Charlotte, Kelly Alexander,
state president of the NAACP, said
school units all over North Carolina
are being petitioned to end segrega
tion by this coming September. Court
action will be started, he said, unless
“concrete action” is taken in this
direction.
If “comprehensive” desegregation
plans are not put into effect for the
fall term, Alexander said, school
boards “will have to defend them
selves in federal courts and explain
clearly” steps being taken to comply
with the decision. Alexander said,
“The first and minimum evidence of
good faith shall be recognition by the
school boards that students cannot
be assigned on the basis of race.”
Such petitions have been sent to
Salisbury and Rowan County school
boards, the Charlotte and Mecklen
burg County boards, the City of Dur
ham board and the Raleigh school
board. All asked “immediate steps”
aimed at ending segregation.
The Charlotte City School Board
appointed an all-white, three-man
board to study integration of the
schools in the state’s biggest city.
Members: J. B. Hobson, chairman,
and Douglas Aitken, both bankers;
and A1 Bechtold, personnel director
of Lance, Inc.
In Winston-Salem, a 21-member
study group—including four Negroes
—was appointed. It consists of farm
ers, businessmen and two ministers.
In Greensboro, the Guilford County
Board of Education authorized the
appointment of a study committee.
In Bertie County (Negroes com
prise 59.79 per cent of the population),
the county board of education voted
to set up a bi-racial study group.
In Lee County, two Negroes were
named to a five-man segregation ad
visory committee.
In Burlington, the city school board
voted to establish a 10-man study
committee.
Asst. Atty. Gen. I. Beverly Lake,
who prepared the state’s brief, as a
friend of the court, and presented
oral arguments to the U. S. Supreme
Court, urged all communities in
North Carolina to prepare to operate
private schools.
The Supreme Court has placed in
the hands of the Negroes of North
Carolina the power to force the clos
ing of our public schools,” Lake said.
Since, as of this date, no one can be
sure whether the Negroes will per
mit some of their number to exercise
this power, the people of North Caro
lina must now get ready to meet such
action.
“The NAACP is our enemy, not the
Negro people. We shall fight the
NAACP county by county, city by
city and, if need be, school by school
and classroom by classroom to pre
serve our public schools as long as
possible while organizing and estab
lishing other methods of educating
our children.
BITTER FIGHT’
“It will be a bitter and costly fight.
We can also make it a costly one for
our enemies, both foreign and domes
tic. We shall not surrender. We call
upon our Negro neighbors to assist
us in this fight to preserve their
schools as well as ours.”
Gov. Hodges and Atty. Gen. Rod-
man issued statements stressing that
Lake gave his own views, not those of
the state government. The State
NAACP asked the governor to “take
whatever steps are necessary” to re
move Lake from office. Hodges’ reply:
I am amazed that this private
organization, \vi1os0 policies are
determined in its national office in
New York and are obviously designed
to split North Carolina citizens into
racial camps, and which I am con
vinced does not actually represent
any substantial portion of our Negro
citizens, should have the effrontery to
make such a request... It is my inten
tion to use every means at my com
mand to retain for the state the serv
ices of this distinguished lawyer.”
Later, Gov. Hodges said the state
is . no , t , yet read y to “seriously con
sider” abandonment of the public
schools, which he called “a last re
sort.”
HELMS SPEECH
In Charlotte, Atty. Fred B. Helms,
member of the Advisory Commit
tee on Education, said the deci
sion does not “require that parents
of both races shall send their children
to the same school.” It “merely strikes
down ‘all provision of federal, state
or local law requiring or permitting’
segregation of the races in the public
schools ‘solely on the basis of race.’ ”