Stafford County is one of the main counties surrounding the city of Fredericksburg and was the sight of most of the desegregation conflict in the area. Since its opening, Stafford County Schools had been reserved solely for white students. All African American students were bused to the Walker-Grant School and other smaller schools built to educate the minority students of the area. Stafford became the forerunner and example of desegregation for the other schools in the city and surrounding counties. In 1961, 11 out of 130 school districts in Virginia were now desegregated, with 208 Negro pupils attending white schools [1]. Locally, public schools began slowly desegregation in 1961. Two black students were admitted to Stafford Elementary School, and soon there would be integration into Stafford High School [2]. In August 1961, Cynthia and Dorothea Montague were enrolled in the 1st and 3rd grades at Stafford Elementary School [3]. It was a full year before the other schools began to integrate.
State Pupil Placement Board
The first part of integrating schools in Fredericksburg was to test the black students who want to go to a white school, which ended up being an obstacle to the black students. The State Pupil Placement Board was created by Stafford County to test Negro students to be allowed to integrate into white schools. School Superintendent Benton Gayle said that grade by grade the new application number two for the 12th grade, two for the 10th grade, four for the 11th grade, five for the 9th grade, one each for 7th and 8th grade, two for fourth and third grades, one each for second and first grades. The State Pupil Placement Board had a set of hearing August 29 for the appeals of 18 Stafford County Negro children, seeking to transfer to white schools, but a new date was being requested by school officials.
Under state law, five criteria for deciding on applications:
- Scholastic aptitude academic achievement, and mental ability of pupil
- Availability of facilities and instructional personnel.
- Potential effect of specific placement on own educational progress.
- Restriction of disruption of individual educational process, limitation of disorganization of public schools, and achievement of maximum continuity in pupil placement by avoidance of any general or unnecessary reallocation or reassignment of pupils heretofore entered in the public school system.
- Validity of reason given by pupil’s parents or guardian for particular placement requested [6].
On July 12, 1961 the applications by two Negro students to enter James Monroe High School here were rejected today by the State Pupil Placement Board in Virginia, due to distance [4]. There was much opposition from the school board to not have integration happen.
One of the attorneys for the black students, S.W Tucker, asked the City School Board if they had any plans to “desegregate the school system”, and the City School Board representative replied “if that is what it’s called, no sir”.
Stafford High School
The State Pupil Placement Board finally approved the request of 34 black students to transfer from H.H Poole High Schools to Stafford High School. The first day of school for integration was going to be a momentous day, but everyone had their feelings towards how it was going to go. The principal of Stafford High School, Dr. John B. Durham, told the black students that “during the first few days you will be treated according to the color of your skin everybody will have on their mind. Within a few days you will be treated according to what you deserve”[5]. The first day of integration would be an important day because the real test would come when black attempted a large-scale desegregation of area schools.
On August 26, 1962 a group of 34 black pupils walked into a previously all white Stafford High School to attend[6]. There was much of an apprehension from black parents and their kids that hostile parents would be at the school to try to prevent the desegregation [7]. Black student G. Albert Jeter wanted to graduate from Stafford High School after driving past the school to go to the black high school H.H. Poole. He recalled one person trying to start something.
“The first couple of days this one boy-would be out there to meet our bus. He would stand with a group of friends and throw a few words at us, but everyone ignored him and none of his friend joined in, so after awhile he just quit doing it.”
A few days after the first day of school Principal John B. Durham talked with both the black students and white students about safety. Principal Durham asked the black students to get rid of knives that they has in possession. Jeter said “of course, no one admitted to having a knife, but after a few minutes there must have been 20 knives in a pile”[14]. There was still a sense of heightened fear for the black students being in the integrated school. Principal Durham then told homeroom teachers to collect knives, which would win over the parents who harbored fears from both sides [8].
Jeter and seven other black students showed up at football practice and said they wanted to play. Durham described to the County School Board what happened that day: “I expected to have to ask the white boys to double up on their lockers so the colored boys could double up lockers too. But to my surprise, the white boys said “Here you put your stuff in the locker with me. Not one colored boy had to share his locker with another colored boy”[9].
School Activities
Dr. Durham told the black students:
“You are the first children. There are some problems, You are going to have to pay the price for this situation”.
The black students were restricted when they first arrived to Stafford High School. They were getting along with white students, but the color of their skin made a distinction. The black students were told to voluntarily abstain from participating in school social functions. This was because of fear of desegregation disturbing the allowance of school sports. The parents of Stafford High School pupils had voted 7 to 5 against integrated athletic content and 8 to 3 against integrated social activities[10]. When other teams in the Battlefield District learned blacks would be competing for Stafford they let it be known they would not play the school if blacks were used in the game. Therefore 1962-1963 blacks were kept on the bench against such teams as James Monroe and Spotsylvania.
Black student Jeter was sad he was not able to participate in sports.
“It was hard sitting on the bench, but that there was nothing I could do about it”.
Black students and parents presented a letter on August 18 in response to this order. They said:
“We reject the idea that we should be denied any of the privileges afforded other Stafford High students on the implied theory that we do these students any injustices. We therefore take this means to start that we, as duly registered student at Stafford High School, do expect to be afforded every right and privilege available to every other student enrolled at the Stafford High School”.
There was much opposition to furthering integration through Fredericksburg, but there were more school board members willing to change.
School Board Member A.C. Benson said:
“…if this problem is left entirely to the children, this problem will be solved. The further we go into it, the further we are going to see that children are going to accept some things parents don’t want them to accept” [11].
Other schools followed suit to further integrate their student body. It was a mass movement to finally desegregate.
Lunch Counter Sit-Ins >> Other Schools>>
Works Cited:
[1]. Lakeman, W. (1961, July 12). Negro pupils ask stafford entry. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[2]. The Free Lance Star. (1970, May 19). 25 years later. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[3]. “Toward The Dream Timeline.” The Free Lance Star, 13 Dec. 1988, Accessed 8 Sept. 2017.
[4]. Lakeman, W. (1961, July 12). Negro pupils ask stafford entry. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[5]. Muse, P. (1962, November 16). School suit against city taken under advisement. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[6]. The Free Lance Star. (1972, September 12). Decade has seen school integration. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[7]. Evans, L., & Reporter, R. (1972, September 14). Integration mood was set early. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[8]. The Free Lance Star. (1972, September 13). Desegregation morning. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[9]. Evans, L., & Reporter, R. (1972, September 14). Integration mood was set early. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[10]. The Free Lance Star. (1972, September 12). Decade has seen school integration. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
[11]. Evans, L., & Reporter, R. (1972, September 14). Integration mood was set early. The Free Lance Star [Fredericksburg].
C. (n.d.). [Cynthia Montague entering Stafford Elementary School].