Oral History Interview with Thurman Couch, February 12, 2001. Interview K-0537. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
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Abstract
Thurman Couch, a student at Lincoln High School, and among the first African American students to enter Chapel Hill High School, describes his experiences in segregated and desegregated schools. To Couch, the story of integration is a story of the decline of black tradition and the erosion of ties between schools and communities. A standout athlete, Couch complains that the sports programs and the marching band, programs which gave Lincoln High its identity and served as essential conduits between black schools and black neighborhoods, lost some of their character under integration. Couch speaks passionately about the traditions of the pre-integration black community and places all-black schools at the center; he speaks equally passionately about the damage to the black community brought about by integration, in particular the loss of African American economic independence. This interview radiates with pride and frustration, spirituality and indignation.
Excerpts
Dynamics of segregation
Deep ties between students and teachers
Sports instill pride
Inspiring racial awareness and resistance
Teachers influence students' lives
Student activities shape student experience
Anger at racist treatment
Black community traditions and interdependence
Black determination to weather integration
Post-integration decline of black educational leadership
White teachers treat black students poorly
Economic discrimination hurts African Americans
Coach Peerman's influence on black students
Worsening economic discrimination against African Americans
African Americans in Chapel Hill lack the courage to resist racism
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Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
Subjects
School integration--North Carolina--Chapel Hill
African Americans--North Carolina--Chapel Hill
Lincoln High School (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
Civil rights demonstrations--North Carolina--Chapel Hill
Couch, Thurman
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