Richmond High School Protests

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].

[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/.

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

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