Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools facts for kids
Little Rock, 1959. Rally at state capitol, protesting the integration of Central High School. Protesters carry US flags and signs reading "Race Mixing is Communism" and "Stop the Race Mixing March of the Anti-Christ". Photograph by John T. Bledsoe.
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| Formation | 1958 |
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| Type | Civil rights |
| Headquarters | Little Rock, Arkansas, US |
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Membership
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1,400 |
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Official language
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English |
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President
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Adolphine Fletcher Terry |
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Key people
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Vivion Brewer, Velma Powell |
The Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC) was a group of important white women in Little Rock, Arkansas. They formed in 1958 during a time called the Little Rock Crisis. This group worked hard to get the public schools in Little Rock to allow both white and black students to attend together. They were a big challenge to Governor Orval Faubus, who wanted to keep schools separate. The WEC also pushed for a special election to remove people who supported keeping schools separate from the Little Rock school board.
Contents
Why Schools Were Closed: The Little Rock Crisis
In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court made a big decision. They ruled that having separate schools for black and white students was against the law. This ruling was called Brown v. Board of Education.
Soon after, a group called the NAACP helped nine talented black students. These students, known as the Little Rock Nine, were chosen to attend Little Rock Central High School. This school had only been for white students before.
On September 4, 1957, there were many protests at the school. Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus sent the Arkansas National Guard to stop the black students from entering. This went against the Supreme Court's decision. The situation got worse when Governor Faubus ordered all public high schools in Little Rock to close. He did this instead of letting the nine students attend with white students.
Forming the WEC: Women Take Action
Because of the school closures, three women decided to act. Adolphine Fletcher Terry, Vivion Brewer, and Velma Powell started the Women's Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC).
Adolphine Terry was 75 years old and very respected in her community. Vivion Brewer had started Little Rock's orchestra and library. These women were well-known and influential.
Terry held the first meeting at her home on September 16, 1958. Fifty-eight women attended. By May, the group had grown to 1,400 members. Most of them were white, wealthy, and educated. Their wealth helped protect them. They could speak out without losing their jobs or businesses. Their husbands were also not blamed for their wives' actions.
Even so, the women faced tough opposition. They received insults and even death threats over the phone and in letters. The WEC wanted to be a group for both black and white women. However, they worried this might make them lose public support. So, they focused on their main goal: getting the schools reopened. They mostly kept their membership white.
The WEC worked hard to convince Little Rock voters. They wanted people to vote for integration to end the school crisis. This was during a special election ordered by Governor Faubus. The group set up phone trees and car pools to help people vote. However, the first election did not go their way.
The WEC then put pressure on white men in the community. They talked to business leaders. They also published a report called The Little Rock Report. This report showed how much the school crisis was hurting the city's economy. The group even formed a committee to encourage male leaders to speak out against segregation. The WEC was the first white group in Little Rock to speak against segregation. They even held a short TV panel with their members and local ministers.
WEC's Campaigns: Working for Change
Helping School Board Elections
Five members of the school board resigned. The WEC then started a campaign to find new leaders. They looked for business leaders who were more moderate or open-minded. The WEC helped elect new school board members. This made the board evenly split between those for and against integration. Their role in this was kept secret. This was to avoid negative feelings toward the new candidates. This split board later led to another election to remove members.
Showing Economic Problems
In January 1958, the WEC started putting ads in newspapers. These ads showed how the school crisis was hurting Little Rock's economy. They learned this strategy from a group in Virginia.
In 1959, the Chamber of Commerce asked its members what they thought. Seventy-one percent wanted "a small plan of integration" to end the crisis. In response, people who supported segregation demanded the WEC's membership list. This was under a law that required groups to list their members and donors.
To protect its members, the WEC never made a formal list. They kept their mailing list hidden in a different home each night. When they only gave financial papers to the city, WEC officers were threatened with arrest. But no members were ever arrested.
Recalling School Board Members
During this time, WEC members also went to the Arkansas General Assembly every day. They talked to lawmakers. In February 1959, a state representative tried to pass a bill. This bill would let Governor Faubus choose three temporary members for the Little Rock School Board. WEC members spoke to him about the bill. He told them to "please shut up" and admitted the law was "a little on the dictator side." The bill was eventually defeated.
In May 1959, the Little Rock School Board voted against renewing contracts for 45 teachers. These teachers were thought to support integration. This happened even though many moderate board members had left the meeting. This action made the WEC start a door-to-door campaign. They wanted to remove the remaining school board members. They wrote articles, registered voters, and encouraged people to vote.
Many groups spoke out against the board's action. These included the League of Women Voters and the Chamber of Commerce. A new group called "Stop This Outrageous Purge" (STOP) was also formed. Even though STOP tried to avoid being publicly linked with the WEC, many of STOP's leaders were married to WEC members. Later, many people gave credit to the WEC for STOP's success. The WEC became the main workforce for STOP's plans. They collected 9,000 signatures to recall the segregationist school board members. They also handed out flyers and helped voters, using what they learned from past campaigns.
The campaign worked! The school board members who supported segregation were removed. Three new moderate members were elected. This was all thanks to the STOP campaign. On August 12, 1959, Little Rock's public high schools reopened. Black students attended every school.
What Happened Next
Members of the WEC continued to work on education issues. They also supported campaigns for moderate leaders in the South. They even advised similar groups in cities like Atlanta and New Orleans. However, once their main goal of opening schools was achieved, the group decided to disband in 1963. In 2015, the WEC was honored. They were part of the first group of women and organizations inducted into the Arkansas Women's Hall of Fame.
