New Orleans school desegregation crisis facts for kids
Quick facts for kids New Orleans school desegregation crisis |
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Ruby Bridges escorted by three U.S. Marshals from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, 1960
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| Date | November 14, 1960 | ||
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McDonogh No. 19 Elementary School and William Frantz Elementary School located in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans, Louisiana
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The New Orleans school desegregation crisis was a tough time in New Orleans. It happened after the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court said that separating students by race in public schools was against the law. This ruling was called Brown v. Board of Education. The biggest part of the crisis was in 1960. That's when a judge ordered schools in New Orleans to start letting all students attend together.
On November 14, 1960, two elementary schools in New Orleans began to desegregate. Leona Tate, Tessie Provost, and Gail Etienne, known as the McDonogh Three, went to McDonogh 19 Elementary School. Ruby Bridges went to William Frantz Elementary School. All four girls were six years old. They faced threats and mean words. Many white families pulled their children out of school right away. By the end of that day, very few white students were left in either school.
Two days later, a crowd gathered outside a meeting of the Orleans Parish School Board. After this, U.S. Marshals started walking the four girls to school every day. Threats against the girls continued. But over the next few days, some white parents began sending their children back to school.
It took ten more years for all public schools in New Orleans to fully integrate. In September 1962, Catholic schools in the area also ended segregation.
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Why Did School Desegregation Happen in New Orleans?
New Orleans had faced issues with equal schooling before. After the American Civil War, Louisiana tried to make education fair for everyone. In 1868, Louisiana's new Constitution said that all students should get free public education. It also made racially separate schools illegal. But in 1877, federal troops left Louisiana. This allowed Democrats to regain power. They undid the progress made during the Reconstruction period.
The "Separate but Equal" Rule
In 1896, the Supreme Court made a ruling called Plessy v. Ferguson. This ruling said that public places, including schools, could be "separate but equal" for white and African American people. However, in New Orleans and across the country, this wasn't true. Many schools for black students were not as good as those for white students. They were often crowded and old. The black community demanded that the "separate but equal" rule be truly followed.
Mr. Wilbert Aubert and Mrs. Leontine Luke were part of this effort. They helped create a group to sue the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB). They wanted better conditions in African American schools.
Legal Challenges to Segregation
Mr. Aubert worked with A. P. Tureaud, a lawyer for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). They filed a lawsuit called Rosana Aubert v. Orleans Parish School Board. After two years, a judge allowed the case to move forward. The NAACP then decided to challenge segregation completely. In 1952, Tureaud filed a new lawsuit, Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board.
Then came the big 1954 case from Kansas, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka. This ruling said that separating students by race in public schools was unconstitutional everywhere in the U.S. A year later, in Brown II (1955), the Supreme Court said schools should integrate with "all deliberate speed." This phrase caused arguments. Supporters of desegregation thought it meant schools should integrate right away. But those against it thought it meant they could take their time.
Resistance to Integration
Even though some people in New Orleans were open to desegregation, feelings about schools were different. After the Brown ruling, only five African American girls tried to transfer schools. In 1956, Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the OPSB to make a plan to integrate all public schools. But Senator William M. Rainach and the Louisiana State Legislature fought back. They ordered all public schools to stay segregated. They even passed a law saying they could decide if schools were for white or "colored" students.
The OPSB and officials like Emile Wagner and Judge Leander Perez also fought against integration. Their case went all the way to the Supreme Court, but it was dismissed. Judge Wright's order was upheld. The state legislature kept ignoring the order. So, the NAACP asked Judge Wright to enforce his ruling. In response, Judge Wright set a deadline of March 1, 1960, for the OPSB to integrate schools.
The Judge's Plan for Desegregation
The school board missed the March 1 deadline. Judge Wright then created his own plan. He set a new deadline for September 1960, when schools would open. His plan allowed first-grade students to transfer to any school closest to their homes. White people who supported segregation were very angry. But groups like Save Our Schools wanted the plan to move forward.
Judge Wright agreed to delay the plan until November 14. The school board thought that if they waited, students wouldn't want to transfer. They also hoped to pass new laws to stop integration.
The school board made it very hard for black students to transfer. They had strict rules about transportation and intelligence tests. Because of this, only five black girls met the requirements. To delay things even more, Superintendent James F. Redmond ordered the two schools chosen for integration to close on November 14. This was to give Governor Jimmie Davis and the legislature time to pass 30 new bills to make integration illegal. But less than 24 hours later, the U.S. Court of Appeals said all 30 bills were unconstitutional. On November 14, the school system was officially desegregated.
The Day of Desegregation
On November 14, 1960, William Frantz Elementary School and McDonogh Elementary began desegregation. Many people were very angry. People thought that a wealthier school would be chosen for integration. Instead, the schools chosen were in a poorer area called the Lower Ninth Ward.
Five girls were chosen to attend white schools. But only four decided to go. Leona Tate, Tessie Prevost, and Gaile Etienne went to McDonogh No. 19. Ruby Bridges went to William Frantz Elementary. U.S. Marshals walked the girls to and from school. They were met by large, angry crowds. As news spread, more people joined the protests. White parents started taking their children out of school. A group formed, yelling "segregation forever." They cheered for every white student who left.
Protests and Changes
Soon, a group called "The Cheerleaders" formed. They were mostly middle-class housewives who were very upset about desegregation. Leander Perez, a leader who supported white supremacy, held a meeting with 5,000 people. The next day, hundreds of teenagers gathered at the school board office. Police in riot gear arrived, and the crowd left. Reporters came to New Orleans to cover the unrest. The protesters yelling at the six-year-old girls made the city look bad. Many people wrote to the mayor about it. Mayor Morrison asked reporters to leave but did not stop the protests.
Eventually, the rioting calmed down. People in New Orleans realized the protests made their city look bad. Many white families moved to nearby areas. Between 1960 and 1970, the white population in the Lower Ninth Ward dropped by 77 percent.
Many people were arrested for various reasons during this time. There were also fights between groups of black and white people. Some Louisiana officials met with President-elect John F. Kennedy. They argued that the federal government should not force states to integrate.
What Happened After the Crisis?
After the New Orleans School Crisis of 1960, the city tried to move on. The young African American girls who were the first to integrate were largely forgotten. Even today, there are still differences in who attends private and public schools in New Orleans.
In the two decades after the crisis, the number of white students in public schools dropped by almost half. Many middle- and upper-class families, both white and black, started sending their children to private schools. By the 2004–2005 school year, before Hurricane Katrina, 94 percent of New Orleans public school students were African American and from lower-income families. These families often could not afford private schools. Many of these public schools were rated "Academically Unacceptable."
Since the crisis and Hurricane Katrina, there has been some progress in New Orleans schools. Test scores have improved, new charter schools are opening, and buildings are being fixed. However, the student populations in public and charter schools are still mostly African American. This is even though about 40 percent of the city's population is white. New Orleans also has a very high number of children in private schools. Some think this is because of strong Catholic and independent schools. Others think it's because people are still unsure about public schools.
Public and charter schools, which have mostly African American students, often struggle with funding. They also face issues from hurricane damage. Private schools, with more white students, get money from private sources. Experts believe that if test scores keep getting better, more white students might return to public schools. This could help create more diverse student bodies. While schools are not legally required to integrate by race, they are required to improve.
See also
- Desegregated public schools in New Orleans
