Black teachers and students lost a lot when schools desegregated
The material losses brought by desegregation trickled down to black teachers and students. The students were excluded from predominately white extracurricular activities, and the teachers were downgraded to lower-level job positions.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with John Jessup, January 11, 1991. Interview M-0024. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
- GOLDIE F. WELLS:
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How did desegregation of schools affect your role as a principal?
- JOHN JESSUP:
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Desegregation has not taken place since I became principal.
- GOLDIE F. WELLS:
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No, it hasn't taken place since you became principal. Do you
think this goal desegregation of schools has affected your role.
- JOHN JESSUP:
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Oh, the principalship role. Well, one thing for sure you don't
have as many Black principals. That is for sure. Therefore, Black
administrators on the high school level do not have the influence, the
contact, the networking, young people do not have the role models. All
those are factors that they've lost and that description is
representative of basically every other category in teaching positions,
student positions, all the way down the line. It is interesting. When I
was in Hickory I was asked to speak to an all White group. I was the
only Black there. They asked me to speak on the advantages or
disadvantages of desegregation. And I wrote my speech and when I got
there and looked around and I was the only Black one there. I said to
myself maybe I ought to change my speech.
- GOLDIE F. WELLS:
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Did you have enough courage to go on and deliver?
- JOHN JESSUP:
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I went ahead and delivered but it was work. Now just think about some of
the things that you're about that one problem with
desegregation that came was the fact that for some reason Black
cheerleaders could not cheer loud enough to be a part of the
cheerleading squad. And students who used to be good in the band can no
longer play well enough to be part of the band and only the exceptional
athlete can play on the football team. Principals, people who were
principals, became directors of federal programs and teachers who were
hired on the high school level became elementary teachers. Of course, I
ended by saying that there is still room, there's hope,
better use of funds, better use of facilities all these things we have
going for us.