Let nobody turn me ‘round: the struggle for school integration 1954-63
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There have been few Supreme Court decisions as momentous as Brown v. Board of Education, in which a unanimous court ruled in 1954 that “separate but equal” was inherently discriminatory, hence unconstitutional. Yet few Supreme Court rulings have been so stubbornly and flagrantly defied. Adopting a states’ rights strategy titled “Massive Resistance,” many Southern states refused even to pay lip service to public school desegregation until forced to, district by district, by Federal court orders and, in certain cases, the deployment of armed forces. With Civil Rights once again at the forefront of the national consciousness, art2art is proud to present this new exhibition depicting in 86 indelible images the bitter decade-long struggle in the wake of Brown to integrate the public schools and universities throughout the South.
The prints in this exhibition are original vintage press prints culled from the archives of several leading regional newspapers. |
Many of these photos appeared on front pages across the country and helped sway public opinion and force the hand of the Justice Department.
Among the nationally-reported flash-points in school integration and key personages covered in this important exhibition are:
Primary school level:
little Ruby Bridges and the integration of the New Orleans public schools
Secondary school level:
Central High School and the Little Rock Nine;
Clinton (Tennessee) High School, fiery rhetoric, and a firebombing
Public universities:
Ole Miss and James Meredith (later a Civil Rights icon who would lead the March Against Fear from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi);
the University of Alabama and Gov. George Wallace’s infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” (which would propel him to two third-party runs for President);
the University of Georgia and Charlayne Hunter-Gault (later an Emmy award-winning journalist);
Clemson University and Harvey Gantt (who would become the first black mayor of Charlotte and run two close races against segregationist Senator Jesse Helms)
Number of Photographs: 86
Framed sizes: mostly 11x14 inches
Rental fee: $6650 for 8 weeks
Among the nationally-reported flash-points in school integration and key personages covered in this important exhibition are:
Primary school level:
little Ruby Bridges and the integration of the New Orleans public schools
Secondary school level:
Central High School and the Little Rock Nine;
Clinton (Tennessee) High School, fiery rhetoric, and a firebombing
Public universities:
Ole Miss and James Meredith (later a Civil Rights icon who would lead the March Against Fear from Memphis to Jackson, Mississippi);
the University of Alabama and Gov. George Wallace’s infamous “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” (which would propel him to two third-party runs for President);
the University of Georgia and Charlayne Hunter-Gault (later an Emmy award-winning journalist);
Clemson University and Harvey Gantt (who would become the first black mayor of Charlotte and run two close races against segregationist Senator Jesse Helms)
Number of Photographs: 86
Framed sizes: mostly 11x14 inches
Rental fee: $6650 for 8 weeks