Features
February'2oog
Con$ol;d atiugcsl*rs Athens High School was integrated in phases between tgfu and t969. With school consolidation the next year, people on both sides of the racial diuide remained in Athens, Ga. as reminders of the road towards equality. n
1
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feilailias \1'riltr
n 1969, Athens, Ga. was in the midst of social change. The two major high schools, Athens High School and Burney Harris High School, were consolidated into one school under the name of Clarke Central High School. AHS rvas primarily u'hite, while BHHS was primarily black. For the students from both schools, everything was changing. Ner.v students, ner,r, school colors and a nelv school name. \Valter Alle n l'as the assistant principle of AHS the first black administrator at rhe school
-rnc1
uten the tu,o
l-righ schools s'ere merged. "\Ve had the Athens High School Trojans, u'e h.rd the Burney Harris High School Yellon,Jack.ts, no\\r rve have to phase out both of those ideas :Lncl come up u,ith something new," Allen said. Allen transferred from being rhe bancl directtrr at BHHS to tirking the position of :Lsslstant principle at AHS several years before the consolilation. At AHS. he found himself in a sometimes unu'elcomlng cultural environment. Nlanv teachrrs and staff n-rembers \\,ere \\'ar,v of his presence "I gave up music to come here as ;ln administrat!rr. Some people thought I as being sent over here .rs a spy for the NAACP," Allen said. "l think that rrnce they got to trust me and kr-rorv that I u,asn't ,r spy for the N,A-ACP or the Black Par.rthers (the1' .rpened up)." While,{llen rvas facing nerv challenges u-ith trving to establish himself as a black administrarLrr in the ne\v1y'merged school, mcial tensions in {HS had been building long before 1969. In 1963. Wilutia Green became one of the first 'nlack srudents Lo attend AHS. Under the Freeclom .rf Choice progran-r, u,hich allon'ed certaln black .rudents to attend lr,hite schools b,v appllcatron. Green rvas permitted to transfer into AHS. Green's first steps into AHS r,r'ere groundbreaking. .
"Hirrnilton Holmcs ancl Charlene Hunter integrrted (the Universit,v of Georgia) in 1961. \\re \\'ere a\\r:rre that that \\.as horr, Lhe rl,orld u.rs going. It \\.as not beyoncl prossible that you cou1cl .1. t lr,rt.'' Cruun rri.l. 'Anrl it \\ r- .r community organized thing t1-rat finall,v passed it in the Clarke County school clistrict that l,ou could app1,v to go to the
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a
-
sr:hOOl
Green transferred from At1-rens High :rnd Industrial Sc}rool. later to be ' come BHHS. to AHS s-hen she u'as in eler-enth grade. At a segregated school. Creen lircked thc tesoutces that r.r'ele available to students in *'hite schools..
"I clicl not have the s:rme things tl-rat everybody else dld. Our textbooks often came ils the textbooks th;rt they had stopped using:rt Athens High. ,$d obriousl,v, if ,vou compare the buildings ou rr ,rlll.l .et Ih.tr rhcr rr e rc i nr rrllr l.l 1 rirb1e." Green said. ,\side from gaining access to the upclated resources of Athens High, Green felt integratior-r benefitted the learning
Above: ASSISTING THE CIIANGE: Athens High assistant principle
environment. Walter Allen poses for a yearbook picture in r97t; the year after the '' \rhenr High -chool rr'.r. mi'.inq schools were consoiidated. "(The consolidation) wasn't all a nightmare," Allen said. "There were some verypleasant moments working through something b1- not being exposecl to the this whole thing. This whole process." srudents at Athens High and Inclustrial. We both har,e son-rething to give n-as an inconr,enience. each other," Green said. "Once you get "l never used the same rest room. I alu,ays usecl to knou. each otl-rer better, you figure out that thc rest room that u as in the nurse's office," Green basically u,e r,,-ere all the same. We had the same saic1. "l s.ent in the rest room once the first da1,, aspirations, ,.ame goals. But as long as,vou only and turned arouncl and n alked out. It lvas not a stand on,vour side , you never figure that out. And friendly p1ace." that's u,hat my thought u'as in the beginning of Green countered the intimidation by focusing the process u,hen I integrated. That's rvh,v it rvas on her school u.orl< and her purpose in the school. important." "At the end of the da1,, acceptance \\ras not necGreen often found it hard to feei comfortable in essaril,v s.}rat I n:rs looking for. I u.as looking for AHS, as she rr-as a*'are that she rr,as a minority in an education. ancl I did receive that," Green said. the school. "(\I,v first da1') n.as interesting," Green said. Green felt that she rvas bettering her situation "There u-as some intimid;rtlon. I felt r-ery much b,v choosing to attend AHS. But b,v 1969, after Crccn gr.t.lu.r1qJ. .elecrirr inreqr.rtion \\ J\ gon(. .r.10ne. Consolidating the schools meant that AHS u.ou1d \{ost students simpil- ignored Green, and even be completely integrated. Racial unrest betu.een rhose tha[ u-ere lriend1,v p1a1'ed a n.rajor ro]e in her stuclents escalatecl to a neu,1eve1. handing Al1en 1ife. "l met some people there. But friendship u'ould the chailelrge of trl,ing to keep the school together "It u-asn't just that all u,hites u,anted this, there be a stretch." Green said. "There u-as tremenclous s'ere blacks u,ho didn't want to give up anything. peer pressure cln their part not to be a p:rrt of \\'hites u,ho didn't \yant to give up anything, and rvhatever I supposedl,v represented. During those it u':rs a Herculean task to bring together tlr,o times you just didn't interact." groups like that," Allen said. Green learned quickly to avoid situations in the
February zoog
Features
U
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E
go and find the same discrimination that I could
in r963. But the rrorld
didn't thinl< that thev s-ere to g;rin :rnlthing s,ith intcgration, the1, thougl-rt that thev u,ere goilrg to losc the little that "Or-r a u.l-role , blacks
goir-rg
u,e had." Allen said. The name of AHS u'as chirngcd to Clarke Cen' tlal High School to accor.r.rrnodate both schools, but the studen[s of thc CCHS \\'ere still clividecl. Doc Eldridge, former ma1.or of Athens and senior at CCHS in 1969, u.:rs plesent at the tirne of
the consolidation. "It -"r,as an unusual rtmosphere ." EldricLge saicl. "It u.as unusual tbr nfilte klcls, it u,,rs unusual for the black kids. It u,as different for the te,rchers ancl the :rclministrators ancl the staff. There u'as jr-rst a lot of social and racial unrest." Before the consoliclation, AHS students u-ere an-irre of rvhat to expect. "\\,'e knen it u,as going to happen. But n'e lr:ere more u,orried about u,ho u'as going out u,ith rvhcr fhrr rr cck. nJ. or rr ho'. IlrTinr' \\ (Tr qr)ing to be out of tos,n. or u-hat kind ol football team rve u,ere going to have," Eldridge said. "\\re rvere just doing things th:rt high scl-rool kids c1o." A1len and the staff tried to drar.r, the stuclents' attention to the issue of full integration so as to prepare them tbr u,hat was to cLrme . Ailen's main goal lvas to foster a positive and accepting irt' titude in the students of AHS. "We tried to instill in their minds that it wirsn't going to be the u,orst thing in the r'r'orld. If 1'ou'r'e
passes that b1'.'
going to come out of it," Allen salc1. \\'hile Allen tried to spre ad his optimism through rhe school, he hacl to accept thxt some teachers were not happ,v u'ith full integmtiolr. "\\re 1-rac1 u.hite tcachers that didn't u.ant to teach black l<ids at all. Ancl black teachers s-ho didn't rvar-rt to teach n,hite kids at a11." Allen said. "\\/e hacl to dcirl u,ith the people that r'r.eren't going to accept this either u,ay." Some teachers in the school u'ere rvary of harlng to adjust their classes to tit the nerv students. "The r,r,ord u-as out that all the standarcls u-ere going to have to change because the black stuclents are not going to be able to do the lvork." Allen said. "And there u.ere biack students lvhcr clid n ork e asil,v as u.ell as the u-l-rite students." Allen u.orkecl to trlr to cl-rirnge the attitudes of te achers ancl inflr-rer-rce thcm tt-r keep a positive outlook rbout the change. "\\re had teachers lr,ho expected the u-ors[. Thel. looked for the \\,orst. So u-e had to tell them that it isn't the s'orst,".{11en saicl. "Let's L:ok at the best t}ung rhat u,e hirr.e and 1et's make this thing u-ork. toElether." Despite their dilTerences Al1en reelized th:rt students from both schools had to learn hou. to interact n-lth each other peacetull,v before racial tension reached a point urhere it u,as uncontrollable.
"\\te had demonstrations." Allen said. "I reinem'
stuclents \\'ere on m1. right and the u,hite students u,'erc on my 1ett. Ar-rd there u,ere peoplc
lrom torvn
coming.
\\'e
u,ere aimost in thc miclst of a race riot."
It u,as common for parents and cornmunit,v rnernbers to share theil negative opinions about the integration and get lnvolved in contlicts, including the demonstr:rtion in the parking 1ot. "I'r'e ner.er heard so man), racial slurs in my u'hole life than I heard th:rt day benr.een those t\\,o grLrllps of people," Aller-r saicl. "It could har,e been violent. I u,as trfing to talk to the students to try and get them settled dou,n. And then the parents came up. And people in the conrmunity came up. One gu,v had a shot gun." Although the parking lot conf-lict dicl not end in violence, many parents and community tnembers felt that the school hircl lost control. "Rumors travelecl fast th:rt the black students u,ere over here tearing up the school," Al1en said. "There rvere people rvho said,'Oh I \\'ant m)'child out of school becausr: this school is turning into a zoo."' To minimize the chirnce of violence or riots betr.r'een the black and r-hite students, school officials canceled many high school activtties. "\'irtually nothing happened on campus that first ,vear bec:rusr: they were so afrald there urould be a riot," Lane Norton, a junior at CCHS at the time of integration, said. "There u,ere no pep
Februa
Features
-r cn rrith precautions being takcn to mini,
::r:c
.rr-rflict, problcn-rs betu.een stuclcnts \\-ere rrruting up cYe r).\r.he re , not .iLrs[ in the parking
-.
e
.-: .rr in the classroorns. The nen,11. integrilted
- CHS footb:rll team was also deahng
tr
irh irs
n shrue of ncu' conflcts. \t that tlne , footlr:rll u-as thc socirl ancl i\trilcurriculilr center of ;rctivitics," Elclriclgc, ll rotball pl:r1,er for Athcns Higl1:rncl then CCHS -.'.1. TIr, yc.tr hel,,r'c mYjunior' \e.1.,)n \\c \\,)n :h. state championsl.rlp \\'ith 3l little rvl.rire ::or-s. And thitt \\-as the last r,ear rtf Athens Hlg}r.
n';rs clilficult rrt bes[ for him," sarc] Eldriclgc. "He ner cl re ;r1lv acljustccl to that enr-iromnent." Sellt [r rc.rl.J lrr h( .rl.tin.l thc irtfc*r.rt i,rn.
u-es blanring us for thc loss." Seller''s tone. along u,ith the loss, pushed the [-.lack piavers to rehel :rgrinst rhc tcnm b,v sklp-
s-hich contributecl to the re arn's cultural clir.ide For Allcn, thc foothell team
ping practicc the follou.ing \londar..
r\.,
''
\\'g
11-g1s
\.t'.lr- \r.e
-ll
real proucl of
t1-rat.
And the tb1lou-ing
\\'ent from 12 little u hite
member
br-r1.s
tO a 60 or
mixecl." -\thcns High football coirch \\/a1,mrn Sellcrs -rr-rcl Burney Harris footb:ril coech \\'alterJackson trrr)k cLlntrol of thc ncu CCHS te:rm as co,he acl .orches. Tlre change u'as difficLrlr for both tl-rc te am
lrlrvers ancl tl-re coaches.
''It u,as cliffercnt..J ust likc ther. hacl ne vcr' ple,ved r,r ith u'hite kicls, u.e hacl ner.er plavecl n ith black kids," ELdriclge said "T1.re1 \\'cre r\\o ;Lifterent cultures. Thev s.ere tn-o clillerent u-a1.s trr pla,v footba11. Tu,o difterenr sers of pla\.s. t\\.Lr
.liffererrt \\'avs to line up, to tecldc, to block. \\'c l-r:lc1 to figure it out." \\/h11e the players had to finc1 r,r'a\.s rLr come irrgethel rs e fennr, Sellers had to cotre to tcnls rhc
neu team cll.narnic.
"For Coach Scllers. goilrg ro an integrated team
.
The black students were on my right and the white students were on my left. And there were people from town coming. We were almost in the midst of a race riot."
ffiTffi:'eathatneeded "Our football corrch gave
us :r lot of probie ms t1-ren." ,{llcr-r saicl. "Burncv Har'
ris h:rcl some goocl footb;rll plavels. Alrcl tl-rcv hacl goocl coachcs. .\nd -{tl-re r-rs High schtrol l-r:rci some. But nos' 1-ou're goinq ro bring t1-rcm :r1l togethcr, anci the pcrson thrt heacls it doesn't \\-ilnt ro
clarke centrar High Schoor
#tflltfl:x]
integriiIe ." Desprte A1len's neqrtir-e teelings irbout the ne\\- reilm. plal'ers Likc Eiclriclge reali:ccl thc neu plar-crs' porential.
*liurncr H.trri- hn'uqht,)\LT \,\ntr rrol'1lq;lgl athletes. \\/e i-r:rcl il lLrt nlore t;r1ent on thilt team
than n'e clicl on our state charnpionship tearn. It u,ils just too earh. for elcr'\,one to gel," E1dric1ge said.
Tension on the te:lln hrt a brr:rkrng point :rfter CCHS suffcrecl one of rheir biggesr losses ro Lakesiclc High Sc}rool 1;rte in tl-re se rrson. prompt, ing Sellers to spend a Sundar.s-ith the tcitlr-r going over film rolls. ".\ll of us u hite kicls h:rd been rhroug}r fihn sessions s-ith coach Sellels. He s oulcl basically run through cr erv pl;rr clo-en tlmes ancl te1l r'or-r hon- r-trLr scrcs-ecl up." Eldriclge saicl. "Tt s-as prettv r:ough, but u-e s'erc :rccustomecl to it. It n-ris thc first timc the bl:rck kids h:rd cr.er gone
through one." Scllcrs' hrrrsi-r tone \\-;is not rcceii tI-re bl:rck p1a1,crs.
ecl
u-ell br,
\llchael Thurmond. nor.srrrre
labor commissioner. end black foorbrrll plar,er lor CCHS in 1970. rec:rlls tl.re conflicr. "\lost of thc black pIa1-ers had a problen'r u-ith coach Sellcls." Thurmoncl saicl. "\tr-e lilt thrrt he
"\\re c:rme to pr':rctice cxpectjng a harcl pr-ac, tice bccausc rve'd lost the game . But rt rr.as just us u hitc l<icls. Aicl thcn hfrc c;Lme all rlrc hlacl< pla1,ers. T1-rey u,erc n:nning slngle filc from the locker room. \\re l-r:rd il ne ar riot on tl-re practice fielcl," Elclridge saicl
Attcr thc missecl pr:rctice. rhe black ancl u,hite membcrs founcl that thel needecl to com,
tc;rr-r-r
lrunic:ltc
;rnc1 dccicle on rvhat to clo next. "Corrch Seilers insistecl tl.r:rr the black klds u'ail<ecl ofl. Th:rt thcv had quit the re:rnr. He cLidn't u-ant to let them back on. And so the ul-rite kicls picl<ecl scrn-reboc11.. ancl rhc bhck l<ids pickecl somebctcll . The blrrck kicls pickecl \likc Thurmond :rncl the u hite kids pickecl rr-re, irncl u-e met together encl kinc'l of ironecl out cotrpro. rni,se ," Elclriclge sercl. 1.1
TI.re
compromisc rilou'ecl
t1.re
hiack players to
st.ly on the tearn, but they $-ere required to sta,v after rcguiar pr:lctice lor extril time evcrv clirr.for t\\'(-) \\-eeks. L)cspite conflicts such as the u':rlk out, Elclridge felt that rhc ream functioned ;rs u.ell
,t- it rrrulrl untlt r I hr .on.liri,rn.. "In lool<ing b:rck on lt, u-hen yolt rhro\\- those tu-o culturc,s together, in an enr-iromnent u'here
The national road to equal rights aaaoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Above: r914r 'lhe su-
\bove: MASCOT: Although Wilutia
Gr.een integratcd rthens High School in 1963, the school did not changc
preme court case, Brown vs. Board ofeducation. decides that racial segregation in schools violates the t4th amendment.
Below: 1955:
Rosa Parks is arrested for
! Right: 1957: Little ! Rock Nine integrate Cen-
refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white man.
!
a a o a a a
a a
ao aa aa a o aa aa o a aa aa oa
3
o a a a
tral High School in Little Rock, Arkansas.
February 2oog
Features physical cLrntact is cxpectecl, u.e rcall,v did prettr, gt-roc[," E1driclgc said. "\\/e rvere gctting people together ancl telhng them to knocl< your heacl off. \\.e \\'ere sl-rering lockcr roolns. Tt u.rs a big cl;rrn change . Tt u-ent a 1-re11 of a lot srnoothcr than rr'e thought it clid :rt the time ." The pla,vers *'ere able to overlook their conllicts r.r.hile [ry,ino 16:r rvin footb:rll g:tnes. "Once thc galne starts, its stalts," Thunnoncl saicl.
"lt
r.vas
just football,
ar-rc1
l-e u.cre just kicls
plal,ing footba1l. (The conflicts) felJ au':r1,on the fie lcl."
The footb:rll team clreu-attcntion frotn the rest of the stuclents in the school, along rvith people
in
t1-re
communitl'.
"It
seemed likc thc u'hole citv u as u-atching ever,vthing thrt hrrppenec1." Tl-urnnoncl saic1. "Thc
nhole success of integr:,Ltion u'as personifiecl in tl-rc football teanr, and ultinratelv u-hether or not rve
cou1c1
plel- togethcr zrncl be succcssful." \\-h11e the CCHS tcam clid not hn'e
r,ins that season, pla,vcr:s such as Eldriclge and Thurmoncl feel proucl of therr team's accom' plishr.nent. "We lr,ere probabl,v tbc most trilented footbell teitm in the histor,v of Athens. but s'e clicln't u-in because u.e no.cr did dcvelop that true boncl that rnalr,v
1.ou h:rve
to have u,ith even'team," Thurmond
said.
"\\/e urere on the clrtting \\/e u,ere ancl stil1
changes.
edge of a
lot of social
;rre cxposecl to a
lot
of things that \\'e dicln't ree11,v re .r112e." Eldriclgc said. "The further 1'\'e gotten from it, the proucler I am of u h:rt the kids clicl." It took several 1-ears for tl-rc stuclents in the school to start noticeablv coming together es Clalke Central stuclcnts. But to Allen. even slouProgress \\'i,rs \vorth it.
"Nliraculous chrngcs I sarr'. I sau'bl;Lck and rr-hite stuclents occasi on alll' gettlng together. T}rey u,cre sitting cloun to hrvc a me ,r1 togethtr. They rer.er clic'l tl-rat be[ore," saicl Allen. "Seeing stuclents r,r'orking together rncl corning together to n.orl< for some com[ror1 goals is u'h;rt I enjol'ecl
r1()st."
Allen hacl plirccd his hope for success in the studcnts of CCHS, cven before ecceptance bctu-ee n the students seemed possiblc. ''\lorL r,i tlt.rrc .l uJL tttr \\ -tt ttol intt.trr TLc ist. Thel'hac1 rcquirecl this lrom their p:rrents," saicl,\Llen. "Anc1 once they got a chance to see tl-rrt things could u,orl< in cliffcrer-rt \r'a)'s, the)' u-oulcl turn coarse. Thet,coulcl say,'Hc1', I'm u.rong about some things."' Frorn the Lreginning of consoliclrtion, Allen tilt th;rt the stuclents had more potentiirl to adjust tt'r the chirnge than somc of tl-re stall rnernbers. "1 really fclt that the studcrrts tlere fnt tnoi:c rcceptive than anyone else ," Allen sricl. "Ancl thcre s-ere some teilchers that re all)'mrrde it Atrove: MUSIC MAN: When Walter Allen decided to take on worth\\'hile . But there \\:erc solre ri ho really the job of uniting the newly consolidated Clarke Central High School, he left hisjob as a band director behind. dicln't. Thele were solne rr'ho just resisted er-eq'thing." Stuclents of both schools 1.rc1ped to decide first rr ave oIkicls. And u.e clicln't appreci:rte it on tl're nirme Chrke Central High School, until r-e hacl an opportunit,v to look back on it." u-hich. to Allen, s'as an earlv c1isp1e1, of pe rce ancl Eldriclge siicl. tl-re abilitl'to n-orl< together. Altl-rough Wilutia Green hacl alreacl1. gracluat' "\\'hen s'e s-ere trf ing to get tl-re namc of cd b;,the time the schools u'ere consolidatecl. shc this school, Cl:rrkc Central, u,e rnust have mct a fecls that clespitc the conllicts that the stuclents hunclrecl tiircs u ith stuclents :rnc1 parents," Allen faccd. the progl-css that said. "\\rhen \\-e s:lt clo\\.n witlr the stuclents, they made can bc a source ofhope. :rnc1 u'hite s-ith lrl;rck students :rnd u-c s;rt doun "Discrilrrln;rtion hrrs not been cltmi' stuclents. -A.nc1 s-c mct l ith stuclent gr,ltps, ancl its here . Sotnelimes v,ru ct-,uld be nirtcd, still the,v re :rlIy, clid a lot to l-relp us." that uhat you clicl hacl no cllscouraged thinking Elclriclge , too. helieved thi,Lt thc stu' obviously it clid," Grccn said. "People impact, but clents srr-rlcl finc1 a u-,r1' to \\'ork out thcir clitTer' here and tl-rcr:e , and u-e'r'e comc :t do llttlc things sn.1s rrll tlrctr,'rin iIlir,n rittti. long u-av. All l<ir-rcls of people in cliffelent u:ays, "I ;rls'evs s:r1-. 1e:rve it to the children. tn,ing to ser: thc positive side of tl-rings ancl keep Lear-e it to the students to ligltre it out. And it r-noving fonvrrrcl. \\re'r'e comc :r long *'ay, ancl u-e u'on't be ne,rrlf as cornplicatecl and s[rcssful," stil1 have a long u,ay to go. But tl-ie realitr, is l1-r;rt Eldriclge sald. "As usual, if the pilrents h,rd leli \\'c !.lll gut fhclc." /Aa line ." u-e u oulcl h.rye bcen thc kicls illone
tr
pcople inr-olr'ecl irr thc rlaking of CCHS clld not reail:e the magnitncle of tl.rc
'<a,y
Nlar-r,v
e\.ents th:rt ilccurrecl. "T cltx't knou- that r-,'c haye completeil. paicl our respects to ancl shos-n our respect to th:rt
Left: 19642
)aaaaa
President Johnson signs
the Civil Rights Act of 1964, giving the federal government power to enforce desegregation.
ao
a o a a a a a a a a o a a a a
a a a a a a a a a o a a a a
a
Below: 1968: Martin is assassinated. a a a a a a a a o a a
oaooooaaaaaaaaaaaoa
aa
Left: L9GB. Wilutia Green transfers toAthens High School.
Luther King, Jr.