1
100
8
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/2b8bfb4cb5725f4128060b15b142c3f5.jpg
440120bfd31e63aa1ba836d00f731022
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Events
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Richmond High School Protests
Description
An account of the resource
Although Indiana mandated that public schools be desegregated in 1949, African American students continued to be subjected to unfair and unequal treatment in desegregated schools for decades longer [1]. At Richmond High School in 1971, one such incident shut down the high school for a week as a result of the racial divisions felt within the community. With a population of 4,000 African American citizens compared to over 38,000 white citizens in Richmond in the early 1970s, racial hatred and acts of bigotry were not uncommon in the community and the public school system [2]. In March 1971, white Richmond High School teacher John Dechant reportedly “man handled” an African American student while using racial slurs and derogatory language. The next day, on March 7, nearly 100 protestors marched outside the school in pursuit of equality, justice, and permanent reform [3].
The sole African American on the Richmond school board, Paul Patterson, immediately handed in his resignation following the board’s decision to acquit Dechant. The school board alerted police officers about the protest and every on-duty police officer in Richmond became involved. The protest was organized and heavily orchestrated by members of nearby Earlham College. Close to 70 Richmond High School students marched on the first day alongside other members of the community [4]. The intensity of the protest and the number of demonstrators grew throughout the week . The school board closed the doors of Richmond High School indefinitely on March 8 to protect the rest of the students after demonstrations led to 89 arrests and a large number of student suspensions [5].
Countless Earlham College students and faculty were arrested alongside some prominent members of the community, including George E. Sawyer, the lawyer who had called for Dechant’s dismissal [6]. Numerous people realized waiting for some “legal magic from Washington” was futile. Instead of focusing on legislation and administrative programs, Dr. Rachel Davis DuBois of Earlham College proposed that Richmond work on their local, personal relationships first. She proposed the creation of a “resources center for promoting dialogue.” The proposed solution would help bridge gaps between people of different races, economic class, age, and religious affiliation by promoting open communication. This proposal also suggested that the community, Richmond High School, and Earlham College would work together to proactively promote diversity and discussions rather than allowing problems to escalate as they did during the protests [7]. Finally, after a one-week closure following three days of protest, Richmond High School opened its doors back up to its students [8]. Dechant, the teacher involved in the altercation, was allowed to keep his job at Richmond High School, and he later resigned on his own accord [9].
The site of these week-long protests, Richmond High School, stands today as a prime example of Colonial Revival architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its significance in education, architecture, and art [10]. Richmond High School principal Rae Woolpy remarked “The attention to detail, the craftsmanship – it’s beyond words,” after learning that the building was taking its “rightful place on the National Register of Historic Places” in 2015 [11].
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] Sydney Hough Solomon, “Civil Rights & Earlham Archives,” Earlham Exhibits. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://exhibits.earlham.edu/exhibits/show/civil-rights/crmidwestedu
[2] “Richmond Board,” Indianapolis Recorder, March 20, 1971. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=INR19710320-01.1.13&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------
[3] Sydney Hough Solomon.
[4] Sydney Hough Solomon.
[5] “Richmond High School Opened this Week,” Indianapolis Recorder, March 27, 1971. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/cgi-bin/indiana?a=d&d=INR19710327-01.1.15&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------
[6] Indianapolis Recorder, March 20, 1971.
[7] “A Proposal-For A Resource Center for Promoting Dialogue and Cooperation along Racial, Age and Religious Groups,” 1971. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://exhibits.earlham.edu/items/show/209.
[8] Indianapolis Recorder, March 27, 1971.
[9] Sydney Hough Solomon.
[10] “Richmond High School,” National Register of Historic Places Registration Form, United States Department of the Interior National Park Service, August 2015.
[11] Louise Ronald, “Richmond High School makes National List of Historic Sites,” Indiana Economic Digest. October 5, 2015. Accessed July 9, 2020. https://www.pal-item.com/story/news/education/2015/10/05/rhs-makes-national-list-historic-sites/73386678/.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Authors: Joel Sharp and Gwyneth Harris
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Relation
A related resource
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fnpgallery.nps.gov%2FAssetDetail%2FNRIS%2F15000602&data=04%7C01%7Ctlhayes2%40bsu.edu%7C09d8fccc215d41c36a7108d8cbd4f94b%7C6fff909f07dc40da9e30fd7549c0f494%7C0%7C0%7C637483463321963779%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=n5eBqaKJ6spGqwsxErGp%2FjLzgYcIqiHpBXycaFxawHE%3D&reserved=0">National Register of Historic Places</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Richmond High School, Richmond, IN, attributed to Warren LeMay, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Richmond_High_School,_Richmond,_IN_(48500522411).jpg
1950s-present
education
Integration
National Register of Historic Places
Protest
Richmond
School
Wayne County
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/089e4c7068bcd95d98e082767a856f30.jpg
765338e36c88b46fedd83f8e84fd9f8c
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Places
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Benjamin Banneker School, Bloomington
Description
An account of the resource
Benjamin Banneker School, an African American elementary school, opened its doors in 1915 in Bloomington, Indiana. Three teachers taught 93 students [1]. The school’s first principal decided to name the institution after Benjamin Banneker, a freed slave originally from Maryland who went on to become a prominent scientist, inventor, and architect. The staff and board of Banneker school constantly sought to provide new opportunities for their students, culminating with the construction of a gymnasium in 1942 for the entire Bloomington community [2], [3]. In 1937, the school opened to the public as a community center offering after school clubs and programs for children of all ages, providing healthy, productive, and consistent after school programs to the entire community [4]. In 1951, Benjamin Banneker School reopened as the integrated Fairview Annex school, three years before the monumental Brown v. Board of Education ruling declared that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional [5]. This school building held integrated sixth grade classes for Fairview and Banneker students prior to the completion of the new integrated Fairview Annex school on 8th Street [6].
In 1954, the building closed as a school as students moved to the new Fairview Annex school, and the former Benjamin Banneker school building reopened in 1955 as Westside Community Center [7]. It provided community recreation programs for decades. In 1994, modern
repairs were made to the building, including the installation of central air conditioning and an elevator. The Westside Community Center was renamed as the Benjamin Banneker Community Center in order to keep the name of the original school alive. The new name honored the building’s rich African American history and continued importance within the community, as well as paid homage to Benjamin Banneker School’s first principal who decided on the original name. Today members of the community center remember the history and legacy of Benjamin Banneker School. In 2015, a ceremonial walk was held celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Benjamin Banneker Community Center and former school [8].
Today, the original site of Benjamin Banneker School sits behind a historical marker dedicated in 2008 by the Indiana Historical Bureau in honor of its historic importance as a once segregated school, as well as to honor the site for its rich and diverse past, and its important place in the community [9].
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] Michael Tanner and Michelle Prichard. “Benjamin Banneker School (1915-1951) – Fairview Annex (1951-1954) – Westside / Benjamin Banneker Community Center,” January 18, 2018. Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.theclio.com/entry/6740
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Banneker History Project Involves IU Education Students, City Government, Community Residents,” IU News Room, February 19, 2003. Accessed July 8, 2020. https://newsinfo.iu.edu/news/page/normal/789.html
[4] Michael Tanner and Michelle Prichard.
[5] Ibid.
[6] “Benjamin Banneker School,” Indiana Historic Bureau, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.in.gov/history/markers/545.ht
[7] Ibid.
[8] Megan Banta. “Banneker Community Center Celebrating 100 Years,” December 2, 2015. Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.hoosiertimes.com/herald_times_online/news/local/banneker-community-center-celebrating-100-years/article_f80e2c90-a18a-53ee-8e48-de1117477163.html
[9] “Benjamin Banneker School,” Indiana Historic Bureau, Accessed July 8, 2020. https://www.in.gov/history/markers/545.htm
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Relation
A related resource
<a href="https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.in.gov%2Fhistory%2Fstate-historical-markers%2Ffind-a-marker%2Fbenjamin-banneker-school%2F&data=04%7C01%7Ctlhayes2%40bsu.edu%7C09d8fccc215d41c36a7108d8cbd4f94b%7C6fff909f07dc40da9e30fd7549c0f494%7C0%7C0%7C637483463321953783%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C1000&sdata=lX7OO1bPOKbvFx8s63awcarF9RBVNDEAknHq6RdDYyA%3D&reserved=0">Indiana Historical Bureau: Historical Marker</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Seventh Street West 930, Banneker School, Bloomington West Side, attributed to Nyttend, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seventh_Street_West_930,_Banneker_School,_Bloomington_West_Side_HD.jpg
1900-40s
1950s-present
Bloomington
education
Indiana Historical Bureau Marker
Integration
Monroe County
School
Segregation
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/66be5ba570b0f921cfad836d673e978d.jpg
86d04df9bf58d2d5f978f03cd028b676
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Places
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Jeffersonville Colored High School
Description
An account of the resource
Jeffersonville Colored High School was built in 1891 to educate Clark County’s African American students from grades 1 to 12.[1] The building included 10 classrooms, and separate entrances and stairways for girls and boys. The building lacked indoor plumbing, central heating, and a gymnasium, all of which were typically found in neighboring schools serving white students. Flora Clipper, who attended the school from 1936 to 1940, recounted her time at the school. “We had no kind of gyms, we had no kind of extracurriculars… We were always very unhappy about the condition of the segregated schools… We wanted an education equal… to the white schools.”[2] The school was renamed Taylor High School in 1924 after Robert Taylor who served as principal of Jeffersonville Colored School for 40 years.
The building was remodeled in 1949. [3] In June of 1951, 14 students graduated from Taylor High School. The students were honored guests at a Sunday service at Trinity Baptist Church before their Tuesday commencement. Reverend L.F. Burton preached to the graduates, parents, and friends on the principles of right living. “Every student of this class should keep his eye on the stars by striving to be as perfect as possible. As you go through life you should never lose sight of your ultimate aim."[4] Corden Porter, Taylor High School teacher and principal since 1928, was master of ceremonies at commencement exercises, held at the local fieldhouse.
Indiana banned segregated schools in 1949, and in 1952 Taylor School was officially desegregated.[5] It was renamed the Wall Street School.[6] However, even after official desegregation, African American students found that there was still discrimination. African American students were often ignored in the classroom, and were discouraged from participating in extracurricular activities. African American students were not allowed to play sports at Taylor High until 1955.[7]
After desegregation, African American teachers at Taylor High School were also discriminated against. The non-tenured African American teachers were fired and the tenured teachers were given two options: they could accept reassignment to non-teaching jobs or they could quit. With the loss of their former teachers, African American students lost important role models and mentors.[8] Even Principal Porter was reassigned. According to the Indianapolis Recorder, the “integration of the schools at Jeffersonville created a new position in the Jeffersonville Schools, and Mr. Porter was appointed to assist in the keeping of records in the superintendent's and high school principal’s offices."[9]
At the end of the 1950s, the Wall Street School closed. In 2009, a historical marker was erected by the Taylor High School Alumni Association, Inc. in front of the school building. The historical marker honored former principals Robert Taylor and Corden Porter. The building is still in good condition, and is privately owned.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] “Taylor High School.” Indiana Historical Bureau: Historic Marker. Jeffersonville, IN. 2009.
[2] Reel, Greta. “The History and Legacy of Jeffersonville's Taylor High School,” May 12, 2020. Accessed August 31,2020. https://thehyphennews.com/2020/05/12/taylor-high-school-jeffersonville/
[3] Indiana Historical Society. “Jeffersonville (Town).” Early Black Settlements by County. Accessed August 31, 2020. https://indianahistory.org/research/research-materials/early-black-settlements/early-black-settlements-by-county/
[4] “14 Students in Taylor Hi Class, Jeffersonville.” The Indianapolis Recorder. June 2, 1951 (pg. 5).Accessed August 31, 2020.
https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INR19510602-01.1.5&srpos=1&e=------195-en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22Taylor+High+School%22------
[5] Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology.“Jeffersonville Colored School Supporting Documentation.” Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Survey: Structures.
[6] “Taylor High School.” Indiana Historical Bureau: Historic Marker. Jeffersonville, IN. 2009.
[7] Indiana Department of Natural Resources: Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology. “Jeffersonville Colored School Supporting Documentation.” Indiana Historic Sites and Structures Survey: Structures.
[8] Ibid.
[9] Blaha, Paula. The Indianapolis Recorder. November 1, 1952 (pg. 7).Accessed August 31, 2020. https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=INR19521101-01.1.7&srpos=3&e=------195-en-20--1--txt-txIN-%22Taylor+High+School%22------
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Author: Molly Hollcraft
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Courtesy Indiana Landmarks https://www.indianalandmarks.org/2021/04/historic-schools-provide-ties-to-african-american-experience/
1800s
1900-40s
Clark County
education
Integration
Jeffersonville
School
Segregation
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/0213a9b0debf429ac5f16e15b17d716d.jpg
69c4a3c2d7549141143e496af982d4cc
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Places
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Division Street School, New Albany
Description
An account of the resource
In 1869, an Indiana law mandated that the public education of African American children be separate but equal.[1] To adhere to this law, in June 1884, the New Albany School Board authorized a new elementary school to serve the growing number of African-American children. Division Street School opened in 1885, a simple one-story wooden building with two classrooms.[2] Enrollment ranged from anywhere between 60 and 70 students in first through sixth grades. Improvements were made to the building over the years, including repairs after two fires in 1913 and 1922.[3] As in many segregated Indiana school districts in the early 20th century, former pupils recount how they had to walk past white schools on their way to their African American-only Division Street School. [4]
In 1944, the Division Street School was expanded to include seventh grade. In May 1946, the New Albany School Board voted to close the school and transferred the students to a different segregated elementary school.[5] Upon closing as a school, the building was used as a Veterans’ Affairs office. After a few years of vacancy, the New Albany-Floyd County Consolidated School Corporation used the building for a storage and maintenance facility for 40 years until 1999.[6]
After the community heard there were plans to tear the school down, they banded together to restore and preserve one of the oldest remaining African American schools in Indiana.[7] , [8] Organizing as the Friends of Division Street School, the restoration became a joint project with the New Albany-Floyd County School Corporation. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2002, and was given a historical marker by the Indiana Historical Bureau in 2005. [9] One of the former classrooms houses an African American heritage museum, hosting educational programs and focusing on the importance of African American education in the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The other room is set up as a 1920s classroom. The Division Street School still serves its educational function, as every fourth-grader in the New Albany-Floyd School District spends a day in the 1920s classroom to experience its history and significance on-site.[10] The Division Street School also serves as a community building and is a source of pride for New Albany residents as one of the most visible preservation efforts in New Albany.[11] “We think it is a real crown jewel for race relations and goodwill in this community,” said Victor Megenity, director of Division Street School. [12]
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] “Division Street School Historic Marker.” Indiana Historical Bureau. Accessed September 14,2020. https://www.in.gov/history/markers/479.htm
[2] Alex Covington, Jacob Burress, Trish Nohalty, and Tommy Skaggs, “Division Street School,”Discover Indiana, accessed September 14, 2020, https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/111.
[3] Dreistadt, Laura. National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form: Division Street School. Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana. Jeffersonville, Indiana. October 15, 2001. Accessed September 14, 2020. https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/a2459f57-29ba-4162-a9b0-56c2c078cb31
[4] Goforth, Melissa. “At New Albany’s Division Street School, unity is found: Ice cream social celebrated historic significance.” News and Tribune. Jeffersonville, Indiana. July 8, 2018. Accessed September 14, 2020. https://www.newsandtribune.com/news/at-new-albanys-division-street-school-unity-is-found/article_fb2d70a2-82e3-11e8-b2ae-4f0c4fbf9b50.html and https://www.newsandtribune.com/multimedia/video-inside-division-street-school/video_a3d7a838-b3c2-5f5d-b567-0675a1d521e4.html
[5] Dreistadt, Laura.
[6] Alex Covington, Jacob Burress, Trish Nohalty, and Tommy Skaggs.
[7] Goforth, Melissa.
[8]“2-Room school being revived.” The Indianapolis Star. January 6, 2001.
[9] “Division Street School Historic Marker.” Indiana Historical Bureau. Accessed September 14,2020. https://www.in.gov/history/markers/479.htm
[10] Goforth, Melissa.
[11] “Preserve America: New Albany, Indiana.” Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. Accessed September 14, 2020. https://www.achp.gov/preserve-america/community/new-albany-indiana
[12] Goforth, Melissa.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Author: Molly Hollcraft
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Division Street School, attributed to Bedford, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Division_Street_School.jpg
Relation
A related resource
<a href="https://www.in.gov/history/markers/479.htm">Indiana Historical Bureau: Historical Marker</a><br /><a href="https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/02000193%20">National Register of Historic Places</a>
1800s
1900-40s
1950s-present
education
Floyd County
Indiana Historical Bureau Marker
National Register of Historic Places
New Albany
School
Segregation
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/ce5084554e048c0e83d9c813807a2daf.jpg
b716119f57960b1ead9176485c2394d8
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Places
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Corydon Colored School (aka Leora Brown School)
Description
An account of the resource
In 1891, the Corydon Colored School was constructed at a cost of $1100. [1], [2] The school was built to educate the increasing number of African American school-aged children living in Corydon and Harrison County. These children were descendants of about 100 enslaved African Americans who migrated into the Corydon area in the early nineteenth century with a white couple, who eventually gave the group their freedom.[3] Corydon Colored School served both elementary and secondary students and held its first graduation in May 1897.[4] In 1925, the high school closed due to lack of enrollment.[5] The elementary school remained open until 1950,[6] when African American students from Corydon were sent to nearby previously all white schools.[7] The closure of the Corydon Colored School greatly affected the African Americans who taught there, as very few African Americans were hired to teach at segregated schools within the school district.[8]
After sitting unused for decades, the school was purchased in 1987 by Maxine Brown, who created the Leora Brown School, Inc., a non-profit organization named in honor of her aunt. Leora Brown Farrow graduated from Corydon Colored School in 1923, and then spent a year studying education at Madame Blaker’s Teachers College in Indianapolis. She returned to teach at the Corydon Colored School from 1924-1950,[9] becoming the longest serving teacher at the school. Even though she had tenure, Leora Brown was one of the African American teachers who was not retained by the school district when Corydon Color School closed in 1950.[10]
Leora Brown School, Inc. used funding from individuals, foundations, and corporations to rehabilitate and preserve the building. The Leora Brown School opened to the public as a cultural and educational center in 1993, and is used for community functions and to promote tourism in Harrison County.[11] As perhaps the oldest African American educational institution still remaining in Indiana[12] , the Leora Brown School was commemorated with an Indiana Historical Bureau marker in 1995, listed on the Indiana Register of Historic Places,[13] and is part of the Indiana African American Heritage Trail. [14]
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] “Leora Brown School Marker Text Review Report.” Indiana Historical Bureau. October 21, 2013. Accessed September 21, 2020. https://www.in.gov/history/files/31.1995.1review.pdf
[2] “Leora Brown School.” Journey Indiana. February 28, 2016. Accessed September 21, 2020. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eWWoGuL5mk
[3] Brown, Maxine F. “Mitchems of Harrison County.” Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History. Spring 2009. Volume 21, Number 2. Indiana Historical Society. Indianapolis, Indiana. Accessed September 21,2020. https://images.indianahistory.org/digital/collection/p16797coll39/id/6623/rec/1
[4] “Leora Brown School Historical Marker.” Indiana Historical Bureau. Corydon, Indiana. 1995. https://www.in.gov/history/markers/132.htm.
[5] “Leora Brown School.”
[6] Esarey, Jenna. “Ind. African American Heritage Trail Gets Boost,” February 20, 2015. Accessed, September 21, 2020. https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/local/indiana/2015/02/19/ind-african-american-heritage-trail-gets-boost/23693067/.
[7] “Leora Brown School Marker Text Review Report.”
[8] Wilson, Carrol. “Leora Brown School.” Indiana Historical Bureau. November 17, 2013. Accessed September 21, 2020.https://www.in.gov/history/4226.htm
[9] “Leora Brown School Fund.” Accessed October 5, 2020. https://hccfindiana.org/esDonations/details/41/Leora-Brown-School-Fund.
[10] “Leora Brown School.”
[11] Esarey, Jenna.
[12] Indiana Division of Historic Preservation and Archaeology, “Leora Brown School,” Discover Indiana, accessed September 21, 2020, https://publichistory.iupui.edu/items/show/338.
[13] “Leora Brown School Fund.”
[14] Esarey, Jenna.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Author: Molly Hollcraft
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Leora Brown School, attributed to Cool10191, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Leora_brown_school1.jpg
Relation
A related resource
<a href="https://www.in.gov/history/markers/132.htm">Indiana Historical Bureau: Historical Marker</a>
1800s
1900-40s
1950s-present
Corydon
education
Harrison County
Indiana Historical Bureau Marker
School
Segregation
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/bd782ac322021e30251eb539e63917c4.jpg
725dbc9c60634f23188e4207f88f5cf1
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Places
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Froebel School, Gary
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Built in 1912, Froebel High School was one of the first schools in Gary, Indiana to accept African American students, decades before most other schools were desegregated. By 1944, approximately 40% of the school’s students were African American. Despite being an integrated school, African American students were still expected to remain in certain areas of the building, could not participate fully in extracurricular activities, and were often disliked and mistreated by many of their white classmates. Tensions continued to rise, until September 18, 1945 when around 1,400 white students took part in a massive walkout protest against the integration policies of Froebel High School.[1]</p>
<p>In their protest, white students pleaded that Froebel High School become a school designated for white students only, threatening to transfer schools if their demands were not met.[2] As a result of the ongoing protest, Gary African American ministers of all faiths banded together to form the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance (IMA) and defended the principal’s decision to maintain an integrated environment within the school.[3][4] The IMA released an appeal to Gary’s citizens, saying “It is indeed regrettable to note that after the nation has spent approximately 190 billion dollars, the colored citizens of Gary have sent about 4,000 of their sons, brothers, and husbands to battlefields around the world and have supported every war effort that our government has called upon us to support, in a united effort to destroy nazism and to banish from the face of the earth all that Hitler, Mussolini, and Tojo stood for; to find in our midst those who are endeavoring to spread disunity, race-hatred, and Hitlerism in our community.”[5]</p>
<p>Despite the support of the IMA in favor of the school’s integration decision, otherschools joined the walkout. The Gary Post-Tribune reported that some members of the Froebel neighborhood supported the strike as they “feel their homes and churches have depreciated in value” with the influx of African American home-owners in the neighborhood.[6] The hate strike lasted well into November, but threats to continue the strike lasted into the following year. On August 27, 1946, the Gary Board of Education issued a policy technically ending segregation. However, in all practicality segregation within Gary schools continued to exist, supported by discriminatory policies. Lower grades at Froebel School more quickly adjusted to integration, while in 1948, African American students in grades 8-12 at Froebel still faced persistent discrimination when it came to the swimming facilities, band, theater, class offices, and other extracurricular activities.[7]</p>
<p>In 1951, Froebel School enrolled 56% African American students. After a transfer policy was enacted that allowed children to transfer to other schools for “better social adjustment”, Froebel School enrollment was 95% African American by 1961, while the district it served was 65% African American. The transfer policy in effect allowed segregation to continue. Other practices, such as offering fewer academic courses, hiring less qualified teachers, and overcrowding at predominately African American schools, coupled with school feeding patterns based on race, perpetuated de facto segregation.[8]</p>
<p>Due to declining enrollment and after several reductions of grade levels served, Froebel School finally closed in 1977 as part of district cost-cutting measures. The location of Froebel School and its role in school desegregation is commemorated with an Indiana Historical Bureau marker.[9]</p>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] D.L. Chandler. Little Known Black History Fact: Froebel High School. Black America Web. Accessed April 30, 2020. https://blackamericaweb.com/2018/09/18/little-known-black-history-fact-froebel-high-school/
[2] Casey Pfeiffer. A Challenge to Integration: The Froebel School Strikes of 1945. Indiana History Blog, 2017. Accessed April 30, 2020. https://blog.history.in.gov/a-challenge-to-integration-the-froebel-school-strikes-of-1945/
[3] Casey Pfeiffer.
[4] D.L. Chandler.
[5] Casey Pfeiffer.
[6] Students’ Walkout Mixed in Race Hate. The Indianapolis Recorder. September 29, 1945.
[7] Ronald Cohen. The Dilemma of School Integration in the North: Gary, Indiana, 1945-1960. June 1986. Indiana Magazine of History 82(2), pp. 161-184.
[8] Max Wolff. Segregation in the Schools of Gary, Indiana. February 1963. Journal of Educational Sociology 36(6), pp. 251-261.
[9] Indiana Historical Bureau. State Historical Marker, Froebel School. Accessed May 7, 2020. https://www.in.gov/history/markers/4109.htm
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Author: Mary Swartz
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Relation
A related resource
<a href="https://www.in.gov/history/markers/4109.htm">Indiana Historical Bureau: Historical Marker</a>
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Froebel High School, Gary, Indiana, attributed to Tichnor Brothers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Froebel_High_School,_Gary,_Indiana_(75204).jpg
1900-40s
1950s-present
education
Gary
Indiana Historical Bureau Marker
Integration
Lake County
School
Segregation
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/c040e35be3b23096c829f79719c257e2.jpg
4b3791cb27a9eabebe3ae6465f481afb
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Places
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Lincoln High School, Evansville
Description
An account of the resource
<p>Lincoln High School in Evansville was built as an exclusively African American high school in Evansville, Indiana.[1][2] When classes were first held in 1928, the Lincoln hosted grades K-12, with an enrollment of 300. Students were bussed in from surrounding Vanderburg, Posey, and Warrick counties to attend Lincoln, including the communities of Mt. Vernon, Rockport, Newburgh, and Grandview.[3]</p>
<p>The school included 22 classrooms, a gym, auditorium, sewing room, and other vocational training areas. However, the school did not contain a cafeteria. Compared to white schools at the time, Lincoln received less funding and students had decreased educational opportunities. Despite having a library, the school did not receive enough funding to purchase books. Lincoln’s first librarian, Mrs. Alberta K. McFarland Stevenson stocked the library shelves by collecting used books and monetary donations door-to-door from local residents.[4]</p>
<p>This was not the only inequality experienced by Lincoln students. Discrimination was rampant in Indiana high school sports in the 1930s and early 1940s, directly affecting the successful athletes at Lincoln. African American high school teams in Indiana were not allowed to compete in contact sports with white schools until 1943 when the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) was ordered by the Indiana legislature to open membership to all schools. This order was only six years before state law declared segregation of Indiana schools illegal.</p>
<p>Because Lincoln High School students were excluded from competing with white teams in Indiana, athletes traveled to Gary and Indianapolis to play teams from African American schools (Roosevelt and Crispus Attucks). They also traveled out of state to Dayton, Louisville, Missouri, Nashville, and St. Louis for athletic competitions. George Flowers, who was a member of the school’s track team, recalled “That’s the one time segregation was kind of a fun thing, because it allowed our young men to go to bigger cities.”[5]</p>
<p>Despite the lack of school funding, the teachers were held in high esteem for providing quality education and turning students into respectful young people. Dawn Whitticker, whose mother was a teacher at Lincoln, recounts “The teachers were excellent. They were really strong disciplinarians,” she said. “Even if you were a student who wasn’t as up to speed, they made sure you learned. We were all forced to stay together, even during our entertainment. My teacher would probably see my mother in the grocery store and the beauty shop.” This strong sense of community and the bond between African American residents and teachers created an atmosphere where students wanted to do well and created a Lincoln legacy that continues to this day.[6]</p>
<p>In 1949, Indiana state law opened the doors to all schools for African Americans. However, in many areas of the state there was no mechanism to promote integration while there many policies enacted to continue de facto segregation. Very few Lincoln students integrated to the previously all-white schools.[7] In 1962, the final solely African American class graduated from Lincoln High School, and the school was then converted into a K-8 facility as part of the school corporation’s integration plan.[8] The original Lincoln School building still stands and as of 2020, serves K-8 students.[9] The Lincoln Clark Douglass Alumni Association keeps the legacy of Lincoln High School alive, and as part of their mission they resolve to “encourage high culture, intellectual and moral standards among its members” and “to inspire such traits of character among the African American community members…. and throughout the community at large.”[10]</p>
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] Nathan Blackford. Gone But Not Forgotten. Evansville Living, 2014. Accessed May 4, 2020. http://www.evansvilleliving.com/articles/gone-but-not-forgotten
[2] Charles E. Loflin & Virginia P. Vornehm-Loflin. Center on the History of the Indianapolis Public Schools. Gary Roosevelt, Indianapolis Attucks, and Evansville Lincoln, 2018. Accessed May 8, 2020.http://vorcreatex.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/1927-1928-Indianas-1920s-Jim-Crow-high-schools-Gary-Roosevelt-Indianapolis-Attucks-and-Evansville-Lincoln-What-do-they-have-in-common.pdf
[3] Lincoln School. About Us: History. Lincoln Lions, n.d. Accessed May 8, 2020. https://lincoln.evscschools.com/about_us/history
[4] Charles E. Loflin & Virginia P. Vornehm-Loflin.
[5] Chad Lindskog. 57 years after closure, Evansville's Lincoln High School's rich sports history remains. Courier & Press, 2019. Accessed May 8, 2020. https://www.courierpress.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/02/21/evansvilles-lincoln-high-schools-rich-sports-history-remains/2803388002/
[6] Chad Lindskog.
[7] Chad Lindskog.
[8] Evansville Museum. AN OVERVIEW OF THE 1960S IN EVANSVILLE. Evansville Museum, n.d.. https://emuseum.org/blog/an-overview-of-the-1960s-in-evansville
[9] Lincoln School. About Us: History.
[10] Lincoln Clark Douglass Alumni Association, Mission Statement, n.d. https://www.lincolnclarkdouglassaa.org/mission-statement
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Author: Mary Swartz
Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson
Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
Lincoln High School, attributed to Harley Sheets Collection, Public domain, via Indiana Album
https://indianaalbum.pastperfectonline.com/photo/F194F4A9-4DED-4651-A624-768304442100
1900-1940s
1950s-present
education
Evansville
Integration
School
Segregation
Vanderburgh County
-
https://www.digitalresearch.bsu.edu/digitalcivilrightsmuseum/files/original/6ce739452ac8017bc12d310bc7779f9d.jpg
68a8176676b2a5b0515fc6311c1b1f32
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Events
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Unigov: Unifying Indianapolis and Marion County
Description
An account of the resource
In 1969, the government of Indianapolis, along with the Indiana General Assembly, passed sweeping legislation to unify the governments of Indianapolis and Marion County into a single municipal government. As whites fled deteriorating cities for the suburbs, cities across the nation faced an erosion of their tax bases. Indianapolis was vastly affected by this exodus, which prompted Mayor Richard Lugar and the City Council to propose the merger of the City of Indianapolis and Marion County under “Unigov,” a term coined by Beurt SerVaas, an Indianapolis city councilman. [1] Upon the enactment of Unigov, Mayor Lugar became the head of the combined executive branch of the city and Marion County. A new City-County Council became the sole legislative body of Unigov, as the original City and County councils were dissolved. This new Council consisted of 29 members, with 25 representing single member districts and four elected at large. [2]
However, this merger of the city and county governments was not all-encompassing, with emergency services and various other governmental resources unable to combine. Unigov also did not consolidate any incorporated cities other than Indianapolis, nor incorporated towns with a population larger than 5,000. [3] This resulted in the categorization of “the cities of Beech Grove, Lawrence, and Southport, and the town of Speedway as separate jurisdictions,” [4] which “continued to elect their mayors and councils as they had before Unigov, while at the same time voting for the Unigov mayor.” [5] While the plan was intended to revive the city of Indianapolis and streamline overlapping governmental agencies, Unigov created serious political backlash.
In January 1969, before the passage of Unigov, members of the Indiana Conference for Civil and Human Rights met to discuss the proposed merger and the impact it would have on the city’s voting population. [6] The members released a statement lambasting Unigov, voicing a concern that neighborhoods predominantly populated by “those who are black and/or poor” may become “so gerrymandered as to dilute their political strength.” [7] At the time, the population of Marion County was 753,500, with a 16% non-white demographic, while the population of Indianapolis was 513,500 with a 23% non-white demographic. [8] The Indiana Conference for Civil and Human Rights were correct in their predictions; after the passage of Unigov by the General Assembly without a public referendum, the incorporation of white suburbanites weakened the strength of what had been a politically powerful, though still economically disadvantaged “growing black minority” in Indianapolis. [9]
Furthermore, “while consolidating some city and county agencies,” Unigov “expressly omitted school corporations” from any consolidation efforts. [10] In fact, the exclusion of schools from the merger was integral to the passage of the law. The proponents of Unigov specifically avoided the creation of a unified school district and widely advertised that fact, so as to “eliminate certain and strong opposition of any of the eleven school districts” in the majority-white suburbs. [11] The previous year, the Justice Department had filed a lawsuit against Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) in federal district court for overtly segregating the city’s schools by “assignment of pupils and teachers” in order to create “one-race schools,” wherein schools with a majority of white students employed white faculty and majority-black schools employed black faculty. [12] Though the case was not fully settled until 1981, the passage of Unigov was representative of the existing segregation in Indianapolis Public Schools, for which the courts found the district guilty.
The suburban school systems excluded from the Unigov merger only had 2.62% black enrollment, and “out of more than three thousand teachers only fifteen were African Americans.” [13] As such, it was found that “UniGov was an act of legislative gerrymandering that denied minority students educational opportunities equal to those that students were offered in the township schools.” [14] Because there were “virtually no black students in the suburbs,” Judge Samuel Hugh Dillin “concluded that a lasting remedy to segregation in IPS was impossible without including the suburban schools,” and ruled in 1973 that black students should be bused “from IPS to suburban schools.” [15] This anti-segregation measure fell entirely upon the shoulders of those who had been discriminated against; “only black students were bused out to the townships—white students were not ordered to come into IPS or to help remedy the divide.” [16] Busing was implemented in 1981, and continued until 2016, when the court order which mandated it expired. [17]
“By incorporating the suburbs in Marion County into the city,” Unigov “widened the city’s tax base, thus helping to stabilize city finances” in Indianapolis. [18] However, these economic benefits were achieved only by disadvantaging the city’s racial minorities and poor population. When Unigov was adopted, “African Americans in Indianapolis lost significant power” as their political influence was diluted with the incorporation of majority-white suburban voters. [19] While Indianapolis prospered under Unigov, the city’s black communities paid the price.
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
[1] Yaël Ksander, “Unigov, Indiana Public Media, June 11, 2007, https://indianapublicmedia.org/momentofindianahistory/unigov/. <br />[2] Emma Lou Thornbrough, Indiana Blacks in the Twentieth Century, ed. Lana Ruegamer, (Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 2000): 178. <br />[3] William Blomquist and Roger B. Parks, “Fiscal, Service, and Political Impacts of Indianapolis-Marion County’s Unigov.” Publius: The Journal of Federalism 25, no. 4 (1995): 41. <br />[4] Ibid. <br />[5] Emma Lou Thornbrough, “The Indianapolis Story: School Segregation and Desegregation in a Northern City,” 1989 [Manuscript and Visual Collections Department]; BV 2631; William Henry Smith Memorial Library; Indiana Historical Society Collections Department at Indianapolis, IN, [Accessed September 18, 2019, https://www.indianahistory.org/wp-content/uploads/emma-lou-thornbrough-the-indianapolis-story-school.pdf], 254. <br />[6] “UNIGOV Plan Proposed by Mayor Gets Lashing; Minority Voting Strength Will Be ‘Weakened,’” Indianapolis Recorder (Indianapolis, IN), January 18, 1969. <br />[7] Ibid. <br />[8] Ibid. <br />[9] Thornbrough, Indiana Blacks in the Twentieth Century, 178. <br />[10] Thornbrough, “The Indianapolis Story,” v. <br />[11] Thornbrough, “The Indianapolis Story,” 260. <br />[12] Thornbrough, Indiana Blacks, 155. <br />[13] Ibid., 156. <br />[14] Ibid., 158. <br />[15] Ibid. <br />[16] Shaina Cavazos, “The End of Busing in Indianapolis: 35 Years Later, a More Segregated School System Calls it Quits,” Chalkbeat, June 30, 2016, https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/in/2016/06/30/the-end-of-busing-in-indianapolis-35-years-later-a-more-segregated-school-system-calls-it-quits/#.V6IDiWNwOQ2. <br />[17] Ibid. <br />[18] William H. Hudnut, III, “The Civil City: An Interview with William H. Hudnut, III,” Indiana Magazine of History 102, no. 3 (2006): 261. <br />[19] Thornbrough, Indiana Blacks, 225.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Student Authors: Allison Hunt and Jake Bailey <br />Faculty/Staff Editors: Dr. Ronald V. Morris, Dr. Kevin C. Nolan, and Christine Thompson<br />Graduate Assistant Researchers: Carrie Vachon and JB Bilbrey
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
PHOTO & VIDEO:
City-County Building (Indianapolis), attributed to Momoneymoproblemz, Public domain, via Wikimedia commons
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:City-County_Building_(Indianapolis)_exterior.jpg
1950s-present
education
Indianapolis
Integration
Marion County
Organization
Politics
School
Segregation