Newspaper Page Text
SOUTHERN SCHOOL NEWS—MAY, 1965—PAGE 5
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LOUISIANA
Federal Court Orders Orleans Desegregation Speeded
NEW ORLEANS
He Orleans Parish School
Board was ordered April 23 by
U.S. District Court to double the
speed of the desegregation proc
ess from one grade a year to two.
The order, rendered orally by Judge
Frank B. Ellis, followed a two-day
hearing on a motion by the NAACP
Legal Defense and Educational Fund for
complete and prompt desegregation of
all public-school facilities and faculties
in the parish by next September.
Saying a written opinion would be
forthcoming in a few weeks, Judge El
lis said it would provide for the fol
lowing: Desegregation of grades four
and five next fall, of grades six and
seven in the fall of 1966, grades eight
and nine in the fall of 1967, grades 10
and 11 in the fall of 1968, and of grade
12 in 1969.
At present, the local schools operate
under a unitary nonracial system of at
tendance zones extending from kinder
garten through the third grade. Under
a court-approved desegregation plan
inaugurated in 1962, desegregation and
expansion of the single attendance zone
program was to advance one grade each
year.
Northern Witnesses
In presenting their case, attorneys for
the NAACP sought to show that Negro
schools in Orleans Parish, largest in
Louisiana, are grossly overcrowded
while white schools in many areas op
erate with less than capacity enroll
ments. Two school administrators from
Northern school districts were offered
as witnesses.
Dr. Roger W. Bardwell, superintend
ent of Illinois School District 59 which
comprises several suburban communi
ties west of Chicago, testified that the
attendance zone procedures now in use
here cause poor and inefficient use of
physical plant. He cited statistics to
show that Negro schools throughout the
city are attended by 4,259 more students
than they were designed to accommo
date, while white schools have 7,640
fewer students than they have space
for.
Under cross-examination by school
board attorney Samuel I. Rosenberg,
Dr. Bardwell said there are no Negro
students in his district, that he has had
no experience in a district with a
large proportion of Negroes, and that
he had spent 48 hours in New Orleans
studying its school setup.
Dr. Bardwell, who was identified as
an expert in school administration and
planning, said that while he was not
qualified to make an evaluation in
depth of the New Orleans school sys
tem, the school board’s own data
showed a disregard by the board in
planning for full desegregation.
Cites New Rochelle
Another witness for the plaintiffs
was Dr. David Salten, who became su
perintendent of schools in New Roch
elle, N. Y., at the height of its “de
segregation” crisis. He said rapid and
comprehensive desegregation resolved
the problem there and implied it
Would do the same in New Orleans.
Drawing comparisons between New
Orleans and New Rochelle, Dr. Salten
repeatedly said that a school board
Seeds to inform parents of “the advan
tages of an integrated system of edu
cation.”
This, he said, should include both
students and faculties and would bene-
bt both races.
“White students,” he asserted, “would
benefit by seeing cultured, educated
Negroes and Negro children would see
that white teachers could be compas
sionate and understanding. If it is oth-
1 e £wise, it is damaging to the future of
the children and educationally un
sound.”
Questioned by Judge
Judge Ellis questioned Dr. Salten,
eliciting information that the New
teochelle school
system serves
about 12,200 pu-
^ of whom
about 18 per cent
' a? Negro. New
leans public
schools enroll
.jaae 105,000 pu-
i ‘Is of whom 55
cent are
^ e gro. Further
J Ue stioning
i ^ r °Ught out that
. e ' v Rochelle’s desegregation problem
dj^l^ed in one of its 15 schools. Thirty
New Orlean’s 129 schools have some
enrollment. New Rochelle an
nually spends more than $1,000 per pu
pil; New Orleans’ average is $329.
Dr. Salten recommended complete
desegregation of the Orleans Parish
public schools. As an alternative, he
said a two-grade-a-year process of de
segregation might be implemented
along with the establishment of three
demonstration centers in schools where
desegregation of pupils and faculties
might take place. This, he said, would
provide opportunity for research to
evaluate the real problems that might
occur and to erase fear of imaginary
ones.
Judge Ellis said it appeared to him
that Dr. Salten was treating New Or
leans’ problem as a purely philosophi
cal exercise rather than as a complex
human problem. “You are telling us
what will work in New Orleans and
what won’t work,” the judge said. “You
don’t live in New Orleans. That’s our
business.”
★ ★ ★
Bossier Parish Ordered
To Adopt Four-Year Plan
Desegregation of Bossier Parish pub
lic schools next fall was ordered by
U. S. District Judge Ben Dawkins of
Shreveport on April 13. The court or
der said the process was to be com
pleted in four years.
Bossier Parish School Board was
given 30 days in which to submit a de
segregation plan to the court. There
was no indication what disposition
would be made of the plaintiff’s re
quest for desegregation of teaching and
administrative personnel.
The case (Lemon v. Bossier Parish
School Board) was brought by Negro
Air Force personnel stationed at
Barksdale Air Force Base who con
tended their children had a right to
attend desegregated schools in Bossier
Parish.
The permanent injunction issued by
Judge Dawkins forbids the parish
school board and Supt. Emmett Cope
to operate a racially segregated school
system.
Decides to Appeal
The Bossier Parish board met in ex
ecutive session two days after the de
cision was rendered and decided to ap
peal to the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court.
Louis H. Padgett Jr., district attor
ney for Bossier and Webster parishes,
said the appeal would be based on the
same position taken in the district
court. That is that the plaintiffs are
residents of a federal installation where
the civil authorities have no jurisdic
tion and collect no taxes; and therefore
they have no claim to a public-school
education in Bossier Parish.
Community Action
Racial tension during April shifted
from Jonesboro to Bogalusa, where Ne
gro demonstration marches, a scatter
ing of gunshots and some scuffles oc
curred before attempts to mediate the
conflict were offered and accepted.
Spurred by James Farmer and other
representatives of the Congress of Rac
ial Equality, several hundred Negroes,
mostly high-school absentees, marched
twice on April 9 in advocacy of de
mands which included equal educa
tional opportunities in integrated
schools. Most of the other stated griev
ances, received by Mayor Jesse Cutrer,
concerned economic opportunities, pub
lic services, police practices and public
accommodations.
The march through racially tense
Bogalusa on the morning of April 9 was
ordered to return to the Negro union
hall whence it began after white spec
tators manhandled a magazine news
man and several of the marchers as the
demonstration reached the downtown
area. One white spectator was seriously
injured when he darted into the street
and was struck by a police car heading
for the scene of the scuffle.
Another march later that day moved
without interruption. Business places in
downtown Bogalusa were picketed
sporadically throughout the month.
Discussions Sought
Efforts to discuss Negro grievances
got off to a rocky start. A meeting be
tween businessmen and Negro protes
tors arranged by Mayor Cutrer on
April 14 broke down, with representa
tives of the U. S. Community Relations
Service shuttling between the two
groups seeking to iron out differences.
Louisiana Highlights
Acceleration of the desegregation
process in the Orleans Parish public
schools was ordered by a federal
district court.
Bossier Parish public schools, in
northwest Louisiana, were ordered
desegregated next fall, with the
process to be completed in four
years.
The U.S. Department of Justice
asked for desegregation of all trades
and technical schools in Louisiana
under authority vested in the depart
ment by the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
More than half the school districts
in Louisiana amended their contracts
with the U.S. Department of Agri
culture stating that school lunch pro
grams would be carried on without
discrimination.
Negro principals in New Orleans
asked the school board to desegre
gate in-service training meetings.
Bogalusa was the scene of Negro
protest demonstrations with griev
ances including school matters and
with hundreds of Negro pupils par
ticipating in the marches.
J. Bennett Johnston Jr. of Shreve
port, special counsel for the school
board, said notice of appeal would be
filed immediately but that this would
not stay execution of the injunction or
the order for submission of a desegre
gation plan.
Bossier School Board President
Grover C. Adkins said the board had
not discussed a plan of desegregation
and does not intend to do so. Next
regular meeting of the board was
scheduled May 6 and no special session
was contemplated.
Invites Contacts
In a statement, Adkins invited con
cerned residents of the parish to con
tact individual members of the board
but said legal questions will be left
entirely up to the board’s attorneys.
In supporting the plaintiffs’ case, the
U. S. Justice Department on April 7
filed with the court a motion claiming
that the Bossier Parish School Board
had entered into a contractual rela
tionship with the federal government
for the education of children of per
sonnel on the government installations.
On that basis, said the petition, the
federal government had paid Bossier
Parish about $4.5 million since 1951,
including $446,338 so far this year with
another $148,780 due. In addition, the
Negro leaders on April 15 proposed
a conference to include Louisiana’s
governor, members of Congress and
legislators. By April 22, three prominent
Louisianians offered to mediate the Bo
galusa dispute. They were Victor Bus-
sie, president of the state AFL-CIO,
State Sen. Michael O’Keefe of Orleans
Parish and Attorney Camille Gravel of
Alexandria, former Louisiana Demo
cratic committeeman. The offer was ap
proved by the Bogalusa Civic and Vot
ers League and by the white merchants
and city officials. A round of meetings
was scheduled.
Feelings ran high at times. The city’s
police force of 34 men was supple
mented by 12 deputized firemen and a
sheriff’s force of about that number.
As reports of pending conflict rose,
Gov. John McKeithen assigned high
way patrolmen to the area, and at one
time as many as 300 were in the vi
cinity. But April 25 the number of
patrolmen was reduced to about 50.
Some 30 or 35 agents from the Federal
Bureau of Investigation were reported
to be on the scene.
Action at Jonesboro
Meanwhile, the last of the demon
strations in Jonesboro, which in March
grew out of high-school student pro
tests, took place April 4. An $800,000
bond issue was approved by the voters
of Lincoln Parish April 1. Portions of
the issue were scheduled to correct
some of the school conditions com
plained of, notably to replace the gym
nasium destroyed by fire.
Formation of a heavily armed Negro
group called Deacons of Defense in
government had contributed more than
$1.5 million to construction of schools
in the parish since 1952.
★ ★ ★
Court Tells St. Tammany
To Have Plan by May 14
A plan for desegregating the public
schools of St. Tammany Parish must
be presented to the federal district
court by May 14, U. S. Judge Frank B.
Ellis told the school board on April 28.
The action grew out of a case filed
a few weeks ago by attorneys for the
Congress of Racial Equality in which
an injunction against sale of $1,995,000
in bonds was sought on grounds it
would perpetuate segregated schools.
Judge Ellis denied the injunction
April 6 and the bonds were sold that
night. The portion of the suit bearing
on the bonds was dismissed April 28
with the consent of the plaintiffs’ at
torneys.
Previously, attorneys for CORE had
said assaults upon school bonds may
prove to be “the single most powerful
tool in integrating all Southern schools.
“It throws into question the legality
of school bonds from any segregated
school district and is expected to se
verely affect the willingness of brok
erage houses and financial underwrit
ers to buy such bonds.”
In announcing his decision, Judge El
lis said: “The court has called counsel
for the plaintiff’s attention to the fact
that there are certain authorities estab
lishing the proposition that those per
sons seeking desegregation may not in
terfere with the building program or
distribution of building facilities as a
condition precedent to desegregation.”
★ ★ ★
U.S. Seeks Desegregation
Of State Trade Schools
The U. S. Department of Justice filed
suit April 8 asking for desegregation
of all trades and vocational schools op
erated by the state. The suit was filed
in federal district court at New Orleans
but since state officials are named as
defendants it was assigned to Judge E.
Gordon West in Baton Rouge, the state
capital.
Filed under terms of the 1964 Civil
Rights Act, the suit asserts that the at
torney general has received complaints
from Negroes living in Louisiana alleg
ing that they, as a class, have been
denied admission to certain trades
schools and are thus deprived of equal
protection of the laws.
The attorney general also certified
that in his judgment the complainants
Jonesboro was reported during the
month. The organization reportedly was
established last Dec. 1 and now has
units in three states and in Bogalusa.
Charles R. Sims, 41, president of the
Bogalusa Deacons of Defense, told re
porters, “We will not go on the offense.
We are the defensive team. If they
come in here to hit us, they will get
hit back.”
Bogalusa is a city of about 22,000 in
the southeastern part of the state near
the Mississippi state line. Strong Ku
Klux Klan activities have been alleged
in the area, and a talk by former Ark
ansas Rep. Brooks Hayes, now a spe
cial assistant to the President, was can
celled there about three months ago
reportedly under pressure from the
Klan.
★ ★ ★
In other miscellaneous activities in
Louisiana:
The East Baton Rouge Board of Li
brary Control decided not to apply for
federal funds for a branch library “be
cause federal funds means federal con
trol.”
A cross was burned on the Midland
Consolidated School grounds near
Crowley. School authorities said it ap
parently was done by pranksters.
A “Z,” oil-soaked and rag-covered,
was burned at a main intersection in
the town of Baker, near Baton Rouge.
An unidentified woman called a Baton
Rouge newspaper to say it was the
work of a group of 15 persons oppos
ing the Ku Klux Klan and that the
“Z” represented their view of the
Klan’s worth: zero.
have been unable to initiate appropri
ate legal action either directly or
through interested organizations to bear
the cost of the litigation or to secure
effective legal representation.
Injunction Sought
The government in its petition asked
the court to enjoin the defendants from
the following acts:
• Refusing to accept applications to
state trades or technical schools be
cause of the race of the applicants.
• Refusing to enroll Negroes in such
state-operated schools because they are
Negroes.
• Denying Negroes equal use of the
facilities provided for white persons at
tending the schools.
• Adopting or applying to Negroes
standards or procedures, tests or re
quirements which are not applied to
white applicants prior to the first ap
plication from a Negro, except insofar
as such procedure may be justified by
oversubscription for a particular school
or course.
★ ★ ★
Complete desegregation of Jefferson
Parish public schools in September was
requested by 16 Negro plaintiffs in a
motion filed with U. S. District Court
April 12. The proposal was made as a
counter to the five-year plan of de
segregation submitted by the Jefferson
Parish School Board.
Attorney Lionel R. Collins, repre
senting the complainants, argued be
fore Judge Herbert W. Christenberry
that there is no valid reason for de
laying complete desegregation. He said
it could be accomplished as conveni
ently, as easily and with no greater ad
ministrative problems than piecemeal
desegregation would cause.
Under the school board proposal,
schools will be desegregated beginning
next fall at the 11th and 12th grades
and the process will extend to the 10th
grade in 1966-67, to the seventh, eighth
and ninth grades in 1967-68; to the
fourth, fifth and sixth grades in 1968-69;
and to the three lowest grades and spe
cial programs in 1969-70.
★ ★ ★
Three-year programs of desegrega
tion for the Lake Charles and Calca
sieu Parish public schools were ap
proved April 22 by U. S. District Judge
Edwin F. Hunter of the Western Dis
trict in Shreveport.
Three different plans were submitted
by the Lake Charles School Board and
the Calcasieu Parish School Board in
accordance with directives of the court
issued in March. The approved plans
call for desegregation to begin at the
first and 12th grades and to work
downward three grades a year until
the process is complete in 1968.
★ ★ ★
43 of 67 Districts
Meet New Terms
For Lunch Program
Forty-three of Louisiana’s 67 local
school districts and the state depart
ment of education have agreed to
amended contracts with the U. S. De
partment of Agriculture specifying that
school lunch programs, supported in
large part by federal funds and com
modities, will be administered in a fair
and nondiscriminatory manner.
Mack Avantz, assistant state superin
tendent of education, urging local
school authorities to accept the
amended contracts, stressed that deseg
regation of the public schools was not
required in this instance. Guarantees of
such action are required under direc
tives from the U. S. Department of
Health, Education and Welfare, how
ever, which only school boards where
desegregation already has begun or is
contemplated under court order have
given.
About half of the $32 million of fed
eral funds now received by Louisiana
schools goes into the lunch program.
School districts which had signed the
amended contracts with the Agricul
ture Department by April 26:
The parishes of Allen, Ascension, As
sumption, Beauregard, Bienville, Calca
sieu, Cameron, Catahoula, Concordia,
East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East
Feliciana, Grant, Iberia, Iberville, Jack-
son, Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, La
fourche, LaSalle, Lincoln, Livingston,
Madison, Orleans, Pointe Coupee, Ra
pides, Red River, Richland, Sabine, St.
(See LOUISIANA, Page 10)
Negroes Demonstrate in Bogalusa
ELLIS