The initial
scene in the short film, The Memphis 13,
which shows the count of African American students attending white public
schools stay at zero then only go to thirteen in the year 1954, powerfully
conveys the strong commitment within the south to white supremacy and racial
subordination. After the Brown v. Board
of Education case declared that “separate but equal” had no place in public
education, Memphis, Tennessee public schools still remained segregated until
1961. In African Americans efforts to desegregate the public schools in Memphis,
the N.A.A.C.P. decided to focus on integration within the first grade. This
decision was based on the theory that high school students were already tainted
by the status quo of segregation; therefore, five and six year old students would
integrate better because they have not been exposed to racism for as long. The
members of the N.A.A.C.P. walked around African American neighborhoods to “recruit”
parents to “volunteer” sending their children to all white public schools. According
to the N.A.A.C.P. sending children to all white public schools would push the
entire city of Memphis toward desegregation. However, the N.A.A.C.P. did not
fully get enthusiastic support from African American parents. Many parents were
scared about volunteering their child to attend all white public schools, but
on October 3, 1961 thirteen African American children started first grade at
four Memphis Shelby County public elementary schools. On the first day of
school for the African American students, police surrounded all four of the
elementary schools. The presence of the police reduced the risk of any
confrontations happening between white and black parents and students. Also,
the police escorted the African American children to their classrooms.
Even though the decision of Plessey v. Ferguson made “separate but
equal” the law of the land in the South, the conditions of the black and white
public schools were not equal. When the thirteen African American students got
to the all white schools, they realized their books were new, their buildings
were cleaner, and they were served better food (including ice-cream). The adjustment
to the change of schools was universally described as “psychologically hard.” The
black students were in a classroom with a majority of students who did not look
like them and would tease them. They were scared and sometimes dreaded going to
school because they felt alone and like they always needed to be looking over
their shoulder. Also, depending on the teacher, the African American students
either felt like they could either talk about their fears or were never called
on during class. Their experiences were not universal at the all white public
schools. Some of the thirteen African American students learned blacks were not
equal, others learned that you could accomplish anything blocking out negative,
and unfortunately a couple left the all white public school and went back to
the black public school.
The
thirteen African American students, who entered the all white public schools,
blazed a trail of courage and progress for the Memphis community. As five and
six year old children, they were more resilient than adults to white supremacy
and racism. They helped their race by valiantly desegregating the first Memphis
public schools. Although Memphis still struggles with prejudice, desegregation
of schools was a great achievement for the Movement for the city.
Having never heard of the "Memphis 13" before watching this film, I was amazed by the courage of such young children. As you note, ALexa, and as the film notes, too, these children were actually more capable of integrating public schools than were adults. I simply cannot imagine what was going through their minds when they first walked into their new schools.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I found the film interesting because I think it illuminates the nature of memory in historical analysis. Several of the people interviewed for this movie specifically pointed out, as you say, Alexa, that all-white schools had treats like ice cream. It's interesting to me that, of all the things that someone remembers after a span of several decades, this stands out. One could argue that remembering that these new schools had ice cream is trivial, but I think that would be a mistake. By remembering that white schools had treats like ice cream, these people remember that the government and the school system actually cared about its white students. So much so, in fact, that they provided "wants" to these children while they wouldn't even provide "needs" (like textbooks and desks) to black students. The role of memory in historical interpretation is extremely important.
It is truly remarkable the story of these children who without realizing set an example for others to come and whose act drove one more nail in Jim Crow's coffin.
ReplyDeleteI'm equally fascinated by how the documentary chose to talk about its topic. There is a real contrast between the dialects of the narrator and the interviewees. The narrator has a very distinct white southern dialect and the majority of speakers have a distinctive African American dialect. The white leaders of Memphis at the time would have most likely spoken in a manner similar to the narrator. Likewise, the narrator is never shown and instead serves to demonstrate an omniscient reciter of history as if to reveal, the acceptance of the rise of Black Rights by the white community.
I think it is so interesting to think about the dichotomy of what school should have been like for these children and what it actually was. On one hand, school is supposed to be a place of academic and emotional development. It should be a place that one not only progresses academically, but begins to form a personal identity. On the other hand, as Alexa pointed out, this was not the case for the majority of integrated schools. I try to fathom the feeling of being insecure in myself and my identity and then constantly being picked on/victimized by both teachers and students. Think about trying to develop emotionally and secure an identity while also trying to combat feelings of insubordination from figures who should be guiding you through the process. That being said, there were also still teachers who did lead their students through this academic and emotional development in a caring and compassionate way. Not every story was a horror story, but my heart still hurts for the young children who would have to endure such psychological hardships.
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