The Charlotte News

Wednesday, September 4, 1957

THREE EDITORIALS

Site Ed. Note: The front page reports from Little Rock, Ark., that the National Guard, which had been called out the previous day by Governor Orval Faubus in anticipation of integration of Central High School, this date had forcibly prevented, at the direction of the Governor, the integration of nine black pupils. The Guardsmen controlled a disorderly crowd which jeered the black students who were led by a well-dressed, unidentified white man toward the school. The Governor maintained that his only purpose in calling out the 250 white Guardsmen on Monday night in a statewide television address was to "maintain peace and order". In referring to a decision by a Federal District Court judge of the previous night, ordering the Little Rock School Board to "proceed forthwith with integration" despite the presence of the Guard around the school, the Governor said this date that he was the "preserver of peace, not a Federal judge." When asked by a reporter why local and state police could not deal with violence if it occurred, he said that "it is better to preserve peace than to quell disorders." He confirmed that he had given the orders to the Guard to stop the admission of the students. The previous day, when registration was taking place, the nine students had not shown up at the school, apparently following the advice of the School Board to stay away. Classes had begun at the school this date. An aide to the Governor said that his office had received about 500 telegrams since the mobilization of the Guard, with more than 98 percent of it favoring the Governor's action. The state branch of the NAACP, after learning that the School Board had approved again the previous night the admission of the black students, announced that some would seek to enroll. The Department of Justice stated that no action would be taken at Little Rock until all of the facts were assembled. Department officials noted several possible courses of action, that high Government officials might confer with Governor Faubus and the Federal judge who had made the order to proceed with integration, to plan peaceful integration, or the judge could issue contempt citations for violation of his order, or the Government might bring an action to seek a court determination that the Arkansas anti-integration laws were unconstitutional under the 14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause and Brown v. Board of Education. In North Little Rock, across the Arkansas River, integration, which had been scheduled for Monday, had been postponed indefinitely. In Van Buren, Ark., to the west, integration began without incident, with 23 black students admitted to the formerly all-white high schools. Integration of the first grade at Fort Smith, close to Van Buren, was expected to go smoothly this date. Three black pupils entered a formerly all-white school in Ozark without incident.

Seventeen black pupils were ready to begin integrated classes this date at Sturgis, Ky., after registering the previous day, while a boisterous crowd of about 250 persons milled about outside the school, with beer cans having been thrown toward the school, a few pebbles sailed through the air and firecrackers set off. The president of the Union County Citizens Council said that it was prepared to boycott the high school if blacks were admitted. In Morganfield, Ky., a small crowd assembled at the high school there, but no black students had shown up. The son of the NAACP chapter president at Madisonville, Ky., was the only black student to register in Hopkins County's formerly all-white schools. At Clay, Ky., where National Guardsmen had been needed to maintain order the previous year, a crowd had assembled at the high school but no black students had applied for admittance.

In Clinton, Tenn., scene of racial disturbance the prior fall when an attempt was made by twelve black students to enter Clinton High School, seven black students enrolled in the schools without incident.

In Greensboro, N.C., a 17-year old black girl, described as an "above average" student who had previously attended Dudley High School in Greensboro, had entered the senior class this date at formerly all-white Greensboro Senior High School—subsequently Grimsley—, the second instance of school integration in that city during the previous two days. She was greeted with some catcalls, but otherwise the beginning of her work was routine. At Gillespie School, where four male students and one female had become the first black students in the state to enroll in a previously all-white school the previous day, the second day of school proceeded quietly, with school officials reporting that there was nothing out of the ordinary.

In Charlotte, three black students entered formerly all-white City schools this date, accompanied by hoots and catcalls, with only one instance of physical harassment. Most of the tension had occurred at Harding High School when a 15-year old black girl entered, having walked the last two blocks to the school followed by a yelling crowd, most of whom appeared to be of school age. Upon leaving the school, the girl and her father were surrounded by a group of white people, many of whom had made menacing gestures. Photographers and reporters, however, gathered around the father and his daughter and few in the crowd were able to get close to them. One boy had hit the girl with a stick and he was taken into custody by police, no charges having been filed by early in the afternoon. Several youngsters had thrown rocks and sticks at the girl and her father as they walked the two blocks to their car. A 16-year old boy was the first black student to enter public school in Charlotte, arriving at Central High School in the morning, accompanied by his father. His younger sister, 12, registered at Piedmont Junior High School with her mother in the morning. A fourth student, 12, had failed to appear at Alexander Graham Junior High School. The three black students were among 30,000 students overall who registered in the City schools this date. Police Chief Frank Littlejohn had stationed plainclothes police officers at all four schools to prevent a possible outbreak of violence. At Central, about 30 spectators watched from across the street and some crossed when the male black student had departed after about an hour. At Harding, a couple, identified with the White Citizens Council of Charlotte, were present and told some students, "You don't have to take this." All three of the black students remained calm. Individual reactions of the entering black students are recorded on an inside page. At Central, one black male student was offered by a white student a "Beat Columbia" tag, regarding Columbia High School in South Carolina, their first opponent in football, and the new student initially accepted it, but then returned it after finding out that it cost a nickel. Mecklenburg County schools also opened this date, with 22,000 students reporting, there being no black students scheduled to attend any of the all-white County schools. The Charlotte City School Board had allowed the assignments of five black students to four formerly all-white schools on July 23, with one of the students subsequently having withdrawn the application. The Greensboro and Winston-Salem school boards had likewise approved a few applications of black students on the same date.

Framed Edition

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