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Factual NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE $2 PER YEAR New Orleans, Dallas Plans Segregation-Desegregation Status School Districts Total Bi-racial Deseg. Alabama 113 113 0 Arkansas 422 228 9 Delaware 94 51 19 District of Columbia 1 1 1 Florida 67 67 1 Georgia 198 196 0 Kentucky 212 172 123 Louisiana 67 67 0 Maryland 24 23 23 Mississippi 151 151 0 Missouri 2,143 214* 200* North Carolina 174 174 7 Oklahoma 1,323 251 187 South Carolina 108 108 0 Tennessee 154 143 4 Texas 1,581 720 126 Virginia 129 128 6 West Virginia 55 43 43 Total 7,016 2,850 749 *Estimated fMissouri not included White Enrollment Negro In Integrated Districts White Negro Negroes In Schools with Whites 508,722 267,259 0 0 0 315,806 104,205 50,272 9,750 98 63,088 14,063 38,898 7,399 6,196 27,136 89,451 27,136 89,451 73,290 761,819 201,091 129,186* 26,648* 512 628,131 306,158 0 0 0 568,360* 42,778* 388,000* 32,000* 12,000* 412,563 261,491 0 0 0 442,244 130,076 406,286 114,682 28,072 283,502 271,761 0 0 0 738,000* 816,682 82,000* 302,060 76,608 74,480* 43,506 35,000* 34 485,996* 39,405* 261,840* 30,000* 10,246* 344,893 255,616 0 0 0 668,300 146,700 38,325 13,752 169 1,783,737* 279,374* 632,000* 33,000* 3,300* 617,349 203,229 74,606 21,735 103 427,864 24,010 427,864 24,010 12,000* 9,894,192 3,020,727 2,551,021f 520,413 181,020 Jl fU Sc urvey 749 Districts Reported Desegregated T he current school year end ed with 749 public school dis tricts desegregated in the south ern region, according to the latest edition of Southern Education Reporting Service’s “Statistical Summary.” The desegregated districts amount to one-fourth of the 2,850 bi-racial districts in the 17 south ern and border states, plus the District of Columbia. Altogether, the region has 7,016 school dis tricts. The summary, which lists per tinent data on enrollment, teach ers, colleges, litigation and legis lation, noted little change from the statistics recorded in the January edition. Two more districts desegregated in the five-month period: Andice, Tex., and Floyd County, Va. The Texas dis trict voluntarily ended racial separa tion in schools and the Virginia district opened two formerly all-white schools under court order. The area’s enrollment of 12,914,919 was down slightly from the previously reported figure of 12,940,443, due pri marily to the more accurate figures available later in the school year. The regional enrollment was divided on the same ratio of 23 per cent Negro, or 3,020,727 Negroes, and 9,894,192 whites. INTEGRATED DISTRICTS Over two and one-half million whites and one-half million Negroes attended schools in integrated districts—those with schools desegregated in practice or principle. The area had an estimat ed 181,020 Negroes actually attending schools with whites. Twelve states and the District of 1 Columbia had some degree of public school desegregation. Alabama, Geor- | gia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina had none. Florida was the I only state to desegregate during the school year for the first time. Twenty per cent of the region’s 471,- 736 school teachers are Negro. Nine states had segregated faculties and eight others, plus the District of Co lumbia, had some degree of integration among their teachers in bi-racial schools. SOUTHERN COLLEGES The southern region has 205 colleges and universities that are predominant ly white, of which 123 in 13 states are desegregated in practice or principle. Eighteen of the 39 predominantly Ne gro institutions of higher learning will accept students of another race. The number of students, white and Negro, involved in the desegregation at this level is unknown since most of the border states no longer report en rollment by race. COURT CASES An estimated 200 court cases have been filed in federal and state courts on segregation-desegregation and re lated issues. The SERS summary lists 163 cases bearing directly on the sub ject. The summary also lists almost 250 laws and resolutions adopted by the legislatures of 15 states to prevent, re strict or control school desegregation. P UBLIC SCHOOL OFFICIALS in 13 of the southern and border states are confronted with 46 ac tive court cases concerning school desegregation, some dating back to before the U. S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision. Over half of the cases seek desegregation for the first time. Others request the courts to speed up a desegregation process already under way. A few remain on the court dockets until pro posed plans for integration can be completed. Correspondents for Southern School News reported for this LOUISIANA New Orleans NEW ORLEANS, La. ederal District Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the Or leans Parish (county) school board to desegregate public schools beginning with the first grade in September. The integration plan was his own, since the board refused to submit a desegregation proposal as ordered by Wright. (See “Le gal Action.”) Judge Wright on May 25 or dered desegregation in public Most of them were added to the statute books after the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision. Only Oklahoma has taken legislative action to encourage desegregation. The Missouri and West Virginia legislatures removed racial designations from their school laws. In 1959, Maryland ratified the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, giving approval to the amendment on which the desegregation decisions were based. The statistical summary is available from SERS for one dollar a year. # # # survey that developments are ex pected in several of these cases during the summer months. The U. S. Third Circuit Court of Appeals at Philadelphia is ex pected to announce its verdict during June on a petition to sub stitute complete integration in Delaware schools for a gradual grade-a-year plan. U. S. District Judge Wilson Warlick in Western North Carolina will hold a hearing on the Yancey County de segregation suit on July 11. The par ents of 33 Negro children—the entire Negro school-age population of the county—are trying to get a decision on Ordered To schools of St. Helena and East Baton Rouge parishes and in six state-operated trade schools. The order called for “all deliberate speed” but set no specific date for compliance. (See “Legal Ac tion.”) Three weeks prior to the Orleans integration order an organization dedi cated to keeping the public schools open was chartered in New Orleans. It was the first citizen move in this di rection. (See “Community Action.”) Gov. Jimmie H. Davis, inaugurated May 10, took the lead in segregation legislation. His administration intro- 46 Desegregation Cases Listed in 13 Southern States (See LITIGATION, Page 14) Houston Postponement Denied; Atlanta Given Another Year T wo federal judges took unprecedented action in May by produc ing their own school desegregation plans in long-pending suits against the New Orleans and Dallas public school boards. U. S. District Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the Orleans Parish board to desegregate its schools, beginning with the first grade in Sep tember. The integration plan was the judge’s own since the board had refused to submit a desegregation The Dallas school board, which has been under order to desegregate since 1956, offered a grade-a-year desegre gation plan to begin in September 1961, but U.S. District Judge T. Whitfield Davidson gave the board 20 days to produce one not as broad. At the judge’s suggestion, the board decided to pro vide integrated schools only for the children of parents who want the bi- racial schools. Segregated schools will be available for those who want them. At Houston, U.S. District Judge Ben C. Connally denied the Houston school board’s request to postpone his June 1 deadline for submitting a plan. Earlier, the judge had indicated that unless the board produced a plan to begin deseg regation this September, he would write his own. Judge Wright at New Orleans also ordered desegregation in public schools of St. Helena and East Baton Rouge parishes (counties) and in six state-op erated trade schools. The order called for “all deliberate speed” but set no specific date for compliance. Atlanta received a one-year reprieve in its school crisis. U.S. District Judge Frank A. Hooper, in what he described as a “last chance,” ruled that Atlanta’s school desegregation plan would have to start in 1961, giving the Georgia Legislature another opportunity to con sider conflicting state laws. However, the judge said that both the 12th and 11th grades must be desegregated in September 1961, no matter what the legislators do or fail to do. The U.S. House of Representatives passed a billion dollar school construc tion aid bill on May 26 but an amend ment threatened to set off a legislative battle that could kill the measure. The amendment by Rep. Adam Clayton Powell (D-NY) would deny funds to segregated schools. State by state, the major develop ments in May were: Alabama Two Negroes made a second attempt to enroll at the all-white University of Alabama extension center in Mont gomery. (Page 4) Arkansas Federal court approved the Dollarway board’s statement of policy on the ad mission of Negroes. Three Negroes registered at an all-white school but assignments have not been made yet. (Page 6) Delaware Delaware Court of Chancery may be asked to abolish a Negro school district that has the same boundaries as a white district. (Page 9) proposal in the eight-year-old suit. District of Columbia A human relations conference heard charges that job discrimination against Negroes is a major cause of educational problems in the city’s desegregated school system. (Page 9) Florida Farriss Bryant, who campaigned on a promise to work for continued segre gation, was nominated for governor in the Democratic runoff primary. (Page 5) Georgia A potentially explosive racial situa tion was defused in Atlanta when more than 2,000 marching Negro students by passed the state capitol, where armed troopers were stationed. (Page 16) Kentucky The burning of the Kentucky State College gymnasium followed a series of student demonstrations. Police blamed arson for the fire. (Page 13) Louisiana Gov. Jimmie H. Davis took the lead on segregation legislation as his new administration introduced 21 of the first 29 bills on the subject in the 1960 Leg islature. (Page 1) Maryland Three Maryland counties will close a Negro school each this month, with pu pils and teachers to be reassigned to predominantly white schools in the fall. (Page 8) Mississippi The biennial session of the Legisla ture adjourned after passing several laws designed to preserve segregation. (Page 10) Missouri For the second time this year, St. Louis voters defeated a 29 million dol lar bond issue for school construction and fire safety in schools. (Page 8) North Carolina The school segregation issue played a major part in the Democratic pri mary in which two gubernatorial can didates were picked for a runoff. (Page 13) Oklahoma The Oklahoma City school board decided to replace white faculties with Negro teachers at two schools where student bodies are almost entirely Ne gro now. (Page 7) South Carolina State legislators agreed to change certain pro-segregation statutes after being assured that it would not relax the state’s strong stand against integra tion. (Page 10) Desegregate duced 21 of the first 29 bills dealing with segregation during the opening days of the 1960 Legislature. (See “Leg islative Action.”) LEGAL ACTION In the eight-year-old New Orleans public school integration suit, Judge J. Skelly Wright of the Eastern Dis trict of Louisiana ordered desegrega tion to begin in September. The Orleans Parish school board, made up of five elected members, re fused to submit to Judge Wright a (See LOUISIANA, Page 2) Tennessee The Memphis Board of Education cited its right to operate under the state’s pupil assignment law in asking dismissal of a desegregation suit. (Page 7) Texas Voters in Lubbock County’s Fren- ship District approved desegregation to begin next September. (Page 3) Virginia The Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors took steps under new Vir ginia laws to make public funds avail able to private schools. (Page 12) West Virginia The West Virginia NAACP confer ence pledged moral and financial sup port to Negro college students demon strating against segregation. (Page 5) # # #