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The Story of Pinellas County School Integration A nine-part series exclusive to the Gabber By James A. Schnur
Last week we learned about Pinellas County’s separate-and-unequal system of dual schools during the early and mid-twentieth century. White students who lived in St. Petersburg’s south side often sat on buses that passed all-Black schools, such as Gibbs High, closer than their assigned “neighborhood” school. This week, we learn how court cases transformed the local educational landscape. Pinellas public school enrollment soared in the two decades after World War II, from approximately 16,000 in 1946 to almost 80,000 in the late 1960s. Floyd Christian served as the county school superintendent from January 1948 until he became the state’s commissioner of education in September 1965. According to district sources, 64 new Pinellas schools opened under Christian’s leadership, including eight new or rebuilt high school campuses. Post-war population growth in Gulfport, the Gulf beaches and western and southern St. Petersburg led to the approval of a new high school campus in Gulfport in early 1952. As the original buildings rose on the flood-prone grounds, the St. Petersburg Times (now Tampa Bay Times) held an informal poll to allow readers to suggest a possible name, mascot and colors for the school. The results published on July 1, 1953 revealed much about the time. The team name for the mascot receiving the highest number of votes was “Rebels,” followed by “Pelicans,” “Panthers” and “Pirates.” Gold and White were the school colors popularly selected. Although votes for “Gulfport High” and “Sun City High” outnumbered “Boca Ciega High,” word on the street even beyond the article also indicated some support for “Dixie High.”
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BOCA CIEGA HIGH SCHOOL TREASURE CHEST
Part 3: Brown, Gold and White
Student Body in Auditorium, late 1950s Respondents did not select this last name to honor Dixie M. Hollins, the county’s first school superintendent. Ultimately, the district accepted a motion by school board member Abe Pheil to name the school Boca Ciega High. The charter student body of 1,033 “Bogie” Pirates began classes in September 1953. Two Brown Decisions and Many Angry Reactions Attorneys for the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) litigated many cases. Some focused on desegregating colleges and universities, others on elementary and secondary schools. Five appellate court decisions from multiple states came together in arguments before the U.S.
Supreme Court in 1952. On May 17, 1954, Justices delivered a unanimous verdict in these consolidated cases, commonly known as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka for Oliver Brown, the first plaintiff in alphabetical order of the similar cases, who wanted his daughter Linda to attend a closer school. In Brown, the Justices asserted that separate schools based upon racial segregation were inherently unequal. Their words overturned the court’s 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson decree. Realizing that this decision had broad and sweeping implications, the court gave all concerned parties a chance to file briefs and responses. After reviewing them, Justices would issue a second Brown verdict that explained how states and localities should implement this decree. Justices released the second Brown decision in 1955, ordering
theGabber.com | July 15, 2021 - July 21, 2021
