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TEXAS SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—APRIL I960—PAGE II Court Orders Dallas To Produce Desegregation Plan by May 21 UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE AT CAMPUS Negroes And Whites Carry Signs Protesting School’s Integration Policies DELAWARE Negro School Construction Approved by State Board AUSTIN, Tex. he U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered Dallas school officials to come up with a desegregation plan by May 21. U. S. District Judge T. Whitfield Davidson suggested a referendum on integration under a state law. (See “Legal Action.”) Houston, largest segregated school system in the nation, was told by its school board attorney that a federal judge plans to “or der district-wide desegregation” by Sept. 1 unless the board itself takes the step by then. (See “School Boards and Schoolmen.”) Andice, a rural school in cen tral Texas, integrated by election to become the 126th Texas dis trict to abolish racial segregation. (See “School Boards and School men.”) A Negro member of the Hous ton school board accused it of stall ing in complying with a federal court order to desegregate. (See “School Boards and Schoolmen.”) Negroes asked Port Arthur’s school board to carry out an in tegration proposal made three years ago. (See “School Boards and Schoolmen.”) A few University of Texas students picketed for more integration. At Prairie View A&M, the oldest state college for Negroes in Texas, a stu dent strike was threatened over social restrictions and alleged unsanitary conditions. (See “In the Colleges.”) The U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Ap peals set a deadline for Dallas School Board to come up with a desegrega tion plan. (Boston v. Rippy, Southern School News, March 1960 and previ ous.) By a two-to-one decision, the New Orleans court gave the Dallas board until May 21 to file its integration plan. The district, for more than two years, has been under a federal court order to desegregate “with deliberate speed” (Borders v Rippy). But the district has been unable to get any court guidance concerning its status under a state law that calls for withdrawal of some $2,600,000 annual state aid to the district and fines against its school officials, if integra tion is ordered without approval of the district’s voters (Dallas ISD v Edgar). Both federal and state courts have declined to give the Dallas board any interpretation of how to solve its dilemma. Judge T. Whitfield Davidson, the U. S. district judge who ordered de segregation here originally, said of the U. S. circuit court’s deadline-setting: There must be “some forward move ment in the integration case and one of the simple things to accomplish this could be a school integration referen dum.” 40.000 NAMES NEEDED A petition for the election must be signed by 20 per cent of the district’s voters, requiring about 40,000 names. The referendum would be helpful, Judge Davidson told reporters, regard less of the outcome. “I think the public and the school board should be interested in the vote. If the vote were favorable, the dis trict could integrate without the loss of state funds. And the element of force would not be present. Force causes dissension,” Davidson said. “If the vote went against integra tion, perhaps those pressing for inte gration would be more patient and forbearant.” The Dallas board has indicated it will have some grade-a-year desegre gation plan, starting in the first grade, when Negroes are admitted to classes with whites. Spokesmen for the National Assn, for Advancement of Colored People said they are “pleased” over the U. S. circuit court’s order. Clarence A. Laws, field secretary for NAACP, said “because of inferior standards of education now being given many Negro children, they will leave school with scars which will hinder them the rest of their lives.” The Dallas Morning News com mented editorially that the school board will probably have no difficulty submitting a plan of desegregation, but that the problem of solving the legal dilemma will remain. School board attorney Joe Reynolds of Houston told its members that U. S. District Judge Ben C. Connally expects to “order district-wide desegregation... in September 1960 unless we come forth with a plan which would commence in September 1960.” Judge Connally in October 1957 or dered the district to desegregate “with deliberate speed” (Ross v. Rogers). Following Reynolds’ statement to the school board, Mayor Houston Cutrer announced he will appoint immediately a bi-racial commission to study “what ever problems need settling in Houston (regarding race relations) — except school integrations which is already be ing handled in the courts.” Mrs. Charles E. White, Negro mem ber of the Houston School Board, said that the only action taken by her col leagues under the court desegregation order has been to spend millions of dol lars on a building program to soften the impact when it comes. Mrs. White added that Judge Connally “asked only for a progress report” in 1959 when “other (Texas) judges asked for a (desegregation) plan.” Of the Houston school board, she said: “They keep telling the court that we can’t desegregate until our multi million dollar building program is completed. Well, by the time it’s com pleted, with all-white schools in all- white areas and all-Negro schools in all-Negro areas, there won’t be any integration.” Mrs. White spoke to 50 members of the Houston Assn, for Better Schools. ENDS SEGREGATION Andice, a rural school in William son County in central Texas, became the 126th Texas district to abolish racial segregation. This came in a ref erendum under the state law, held on Feb. 27. The district voted 38 to 2 to place its five Negro students in the Andice elementary school rather than transport them 52 miles daily to Lib erty Hill. Integration was instituted by white patrons in the district, who faced the alternative of a higher tax rate, ac cording to County Supt. Gilbert Con- oley. It marked the first racial integra tion in the county and the first new integration in Texas since 1958, when Bloomington (Victoria County) voted for the change. Conoley said that 98 per cent of the district’s voters signed the referendum petition, although some failed to vote later. The last previous desegregation elec tion in Texas, at Goliad in south Texas, resulted in defeat last October of the proposal to admit Negroes to the white high school rather than transport them 31 miles to Cuero. (See SSN, Novem ber 1959.) At Port Arthur, a group of Negroes asked the school board for “complete integration.” The district had an nounced a desgregation plan to begin in 1957, but this was halted by the state law requiring voter approval, passed at the 1957 session of the Texas Legislature. PRINCIPAL RESIGNS At Thomas Edison High School in San Antonio, Principal John B. Sulli van resigned, citing illness, after rec ommending searches of students for concealed weapons to curb delin quency. Two students at Edison High recently were stabbed in a lunch-hour disturbance in the cafeteria. Although San Antonio schools are integrated, the juvenile outbreak was not of racial origin. Dallas voters approved by six-to- one majority a 70-million-dollar bond issue for expanding their school sys tem. Some 13,000 first-graders will en ter school in Dallas alone next Sep tember. Three Dallas board members are running for re-election in April, sup ported by a citizens’ committee of 500 members. Mrs. Tracy H. Rutherford has four opponents; Robert Folsom one, and Donald Bruton, unopposed. Dr. George L. Rippy, president of the Dallas board and key figure in the desegregation case, announced that he would not seek another term. Rippy, board member since 1950, announced his decision to retire two months ago, because of his duties as a physician. Two candidates seek to succeed Rippy as a board member. Additional housing will be made available to Negroes at The University of Texas, the Board of Regents an nounced, but there was no indication that picketing Negro and white stu dents would obtain the goal of full in tegration. As most of the 18,500 students at Texas showed indifference, 20 Negro and white students picketed across the street from the campus. A group meeting at the University YMCA also wrote to President Logan Wilson. The picketers handed out pamphlets calling for full integration in housing and athletics. The regents previously had ordered a study of the adequacy of housing available to Negroes. Of the 150 Ne groes at the University of Texas, men can live in specified integrated hous ing. Negro women occupy a house near the girls’ dormitories. Another building will be remodeled and open to Negro girls, still on a seg regated basis, next September, while an additional section of the men’s dor mitories will be open to Negro and white men. WILSON’S STATEMENT President Wilson noted in a public statement: “There is complete integration (at Texas) with refer ence to all educa tional opportuni ties and facilities. The university was the first in stitution in Texas to inaugurate such a policy. “For reasons which the ad ministration and the Board of Re gents consider to be sound, forced integration of social and extracurricular areas has not been established. In view of our known achievements in meeting what is ev erywhere a difficult situation, I am surprised that our institution should be made a target for provocative dem onstrations.” After a long closed-door conference with the president and other officials, the picketers ended their vigil, at least temporarily. No Southwest Athletic Conference school accepts Negroes on its varsity teams. Texas and Arkansas are the only ones admitting Negroes as under graduate students. Because of these and other factors, including schedul ing of teams in areas where segrega tion is traditional, Texas coaches have refrained from using Negroes. There is no segregation in intramural ath letics, however. A Negro school, Texas Southern University of Houston, won the team title in its division at the Border Olympics at Laredo, competing for the first time in Texas against white op ponents. The runner-up was East Texas State, an all-white team. The University of Texas won the university division championship. STUDENTS DEMONSTRATE At Prairie View A&M, the oldest state Negro college in Texas, students demonstrated against alleged unsani tary conditions in the kitchens, im proper maintenance of dormitories, and certain social restrictions. Steps were taken to improve the conditions complained of, but Dean H. E. Fuller said some grievances could be corrected only by spending more money, which would have to come from the students. A Church of Christ minister at Abi lene urged his denomination to open its doors to Negroes who wish gradu- DOVER, Del. EGRO SCHOOL CONSTRUCTION costing $2,513,486 has been approved by the State Board of Education and will be submitted to the General Assembly. (See “School Boards and Schoolmen.”) The U. S. Court of Appeals in Philadelphia has set April 22 as the date to hear an appeal of the grade-a-year desegregation pro gram that went into effect last September. (See “Legal Action.”) A study of “Schools in Changing Neighborhoods” is in progress in Wil mington. (See “Under Survey.”) Both of Delaware’s U. S. senators were criticized for not voting for clo ture. (See “What They Say.”) Delaware’s Board of Education has approved school construction projects at 15 Negro schools, with cost esti mated at $2,513,486. Twenty-seven other building pro grams for schools with predominantly white enrollments also have been ap proved by the board, at an estimated cost of $20,655,225. An omnibus bill covering the appro priations will be submitted to the Gen eral Assembly in the near future. In the past, the General Assembly has appropriated 60 per cent of the construction cost of white schools and 100 per cent for construction at Ne gro schools. However, in view of the fiscal crisis in Delaware, nobody will venture a ate study to become preachers. Carl Spain, the speaker, also teaches Bible at Abilene Christian College. He said faculty members there generally share his opinion that “Negro preach ers of the Church of Christ who can qualify academically should be admit ted to the graduate school.” Jack Cox, former state representa tive and political conservative, said that if he were elected governor, he would use the Texas Rangers and highway police to prevent property damage and injury in cafe sit-downs such as occurred in Texas this month. (See “Miscellaneous.”) Cox is running against Gov. Price Daniel and is conceded to have little chance of victory. However, late in March Cox picked up an endorsement by ex-Gov. Allan Shivers. In stating his intention to use police in race situations, Cox said “what we have witnessed is only the beginning.” Denison, in North Texas, drew its first Negro school board candidate, Mrs. William Groce, a former rural school teacher. Two white men also seek the place. “Racial integration of the schools is (See TEXAS, Page 16) guess that the former formula will be followed. Among the Negro building pro grams is one that calls for the merger of four small elementary districts, in cluding Slaughter Neck No. 193, Mil- ton No. 196, Ellendale No. 195 and Lin coln No. 194. A consolidated school, the board esti mates, would cost $543,000. OTHER PROJECTS Other large projects include $390,- 000 for the Thomas D. Clayton School in the Smyrna Special School District, and $500,000 for the P.S. duPont School in the Harrington Special School Dis trict. Others, and the estimated cost: Du Pont Ave., Lewes, $75,000; Millside No. 132, $38,286; William W. M. Henry, $156,000; Dunbar School, Laurel, $20,- 000; Bridgeville No. 220, $226,500; Re- hoboth No. 200, $210,000; Frankford No. 206, $142,500; Millsboro No. 204, $73,200, and Middletown No. 120, $138,000. In February, the Delaware Congress of Parent-Teacher Assns., composed entirely of Negro school PTA’s, ac cused the state board of perpetuating segregation by expanding Negro schools. But the board denied the charges, noting that all schools will eventually fit into a desegregated pro gram. An appeal of Delaware’s grade-a- year desegregation program, which was approved by a federal district court last July, will be heard on April 22 by the U. S. Court of Appeals in Philadel phia. The case originally was scheduled for Feb. 15 but was postponed because of the illness of Louis L. Redding, counsel for the appellants. The case goes back to 1956 when Negro pupils sued for admission to white schools. Once before the case was before the appellate court, which determined in 1958 that the state board, rather than the local districts, was re sponsible for a desegregation plan for the state. Atty. Gen. Januar D. Bove Jr. rep resents the state board. Bove, in his brief, claimed obsta cles, such as finances, the impact of integration on a predominantly south ern society, and different achievement levels of whites and Negroes. Redding, whose clients are all past the first grade, contends they were by-passed by the decision. Other attorneys who have filed briefs with the Court of Appeals endorsing the state board plan are: James M. Tunnell Jr., who represents Milford, Seaford and Laurel; Everett F. War rington, representing Milton, and James H. Hughes, who also represents Mil ford. UNDER SURVEY A three-year study of “Schools in Changing Neighborhoods,” being con ducted in six elementary schools in four school systems in Wilmington, is making “encouraging progress,” ac- (See DELAWARE, Page 12) the University of WILSON