until we are equal
DESEGREGATION
Brown v. Board of Education is the U.S. Supreme Case that overturned the ruling of Plessy v. Ferguson in 1954
While Plessy v. Ferguson focused on separation in public spaces, Brown v. Board of Education was concerned with segregation in public schools.
The case ended on May 14, 1954 when the Supreme Court unanimously determined that segregated public education is inherently unequal.
STUDENT LIFE AT JORDAN SELLARS AND CENTRAL
Some of the students and educators from local African-American schools speak on their experience during segregation and the sense of community the students a faculty had.
BROWN V. BOARD OF EDUCATION
Brown v. Board of Education is the name given to five different cases on the subject of segregation in schools. Judges in the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of the school boards. Because of that, the plaintiffs brought their cases higher, to the Supreme Court, which is where the five cases consolidated into one.
The Justices were unable to come to unanimous agreement until, while the decision was still being made in regards to the case, Chief Justice Fred Vinson died and was replaced by Earl Warren.
With Warren on the court, the Justices were finally able to come to an agreement. The case ended on May 14, 1954 when the Supreme Court unanimously determined that segregated public education is inherently unequal.
DESEGREGATION FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF STUDENTS AND EDUCATORS
The students are teachers discuss what the process of desegregation was like for them and the tension after the federal government had to step in with Alamance County Desegregation.
Students and former educators speak about their experiences during school desegregation and how it impacted their community.
CENTRAL HIGH SCHOOL NAME CHANGE
With the threat of federal intervention looming over them, counties across North Carolina accelerated their desegregation efforts in the late 1960s. Among those counties was Alamance. Central High School was built in 1962, several years before desegregation in Alamance County. The all-black school was located near--only a few miles--the all-white Graham High School. And because of the “separate but equal” ruling, Central High School was built with the similar quality, cost, and architectural plans as the other schools in the Alamance County School System. The students, faculty, and staff of Central High School took great care of the facility. In fact, it was kept in better condition than the all-white Graham High School.
Eventually, the federal government said the schools in North Carolina needed to integrate. So Central High School closed. However, because the facility was kept in better condition than the all-white Graham High School, Central High School was chosen as the location of the new integrated school. But, white parents did not want their children going to a previously all-black school. The traditions of Central High School were lost and replaced as it transitioned into Graham High School that is still in operation today. Central High School’s name was stripped, its teachers fired, and its student body split up among the other schools in the county to accommodate the white population that would now be using the facility as well. The former all-white Graham High School became Graham Middle School. There is little trace of Central High School left in the building, other than a plaque in the auditorium recognizing the facility’s original name.
"IT'S A HISTORY GONE THAT CANNOT BE RECLAIMED."
- BRAD EVANS -
Central HS '65 – '68 | Graham HS '69
ARTIFACTS
Much of the history from these schools are in danger of being lost. From yearbooks, trophies, and other mementos there is not much left.