The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1909-12-12
NEGRO SCHOOLS IN
DEPLORABLE SHAPE
Colored Physician Points Out
Some Defects
PLEADING HAS BEEN VAIN
Appeal Is Made to White Citizens To
Repair Schools So That Chill
dren's Health viii Not
Be Wrecked.
To the Editor of The Age-Herald:


the conditions of the negro public
schools of the city of Birmingham
beg to state that there cannot pos
sibly be any question raised about social
equality between the races. this hay
ing been definitely decided. and Is as
agreeable to the well-thtnking negro as
1t is to the Anglo-Saxon. What the ne
gro most desires is not social informing
ling, not special favors, but more and
better light through public school sys-
tenn which shall not limit his opportun-
ity merely because he is a negro.
Birmingham is famous for her splen-
did public school system. of which all
the people should share and yet more
than one-third OF the population know
practically nothing of the excellent sys-
tenn for the reason that apparently there
has been very little attention paid by
those in authority to the education OF
this defenseless part OF the citizenship.
BY way of Illustration l shall speak
of some few facts which are obvious to
the casual eye.
The Slater school. which is located at
Fifth avenue and Fourteenth street, is
in very low place. Since construction
the lot has been filed in, leaving under
building much lower than surrounding
surface. and during rainy weather the
water from the roof which is not gut
tered falls In the lot and makes its way
under the building at several points.
The rooms In said building are old and
dfngy. plasterins having been of in sew
eral places for many years. The walls
have not been freshened by calcimining
or paint for eight or ten years.
In some of the rooms there are two
teachers with 80 to 100 small children re-
citing at the same time. Through the
teachers effort to furnish all with the
necessary oxygen IN the over-crowded
rooms, which are heated by small stoves,
1t is impossible to keep the proper
warmth for the small children who often
become chilled and suffer as result Of
same.
There are not any water coolers or
lavatories in rooms. All teachers and
pupils must drink from open buckets set
around at different points or from jan
itor's water service over dilapidated
rusty sink.
Under this and other similar conditions
over which the negro has no control
should It be amazing that the negro suf-
fers more from tuberculosis and other
pulmonary affections than any other race.
The Sanitation-Unless repairs have been
made within the last week, to my per-
sonal knowledge the closets dncluding
boys and giris) in said Slater school have
been stopped for more than four weeks,
and many of the teachers and children
were forced to go to nearby neighboring
houses for convenience. II has been nec-
essary for the janitor to pour buckets
of water In toilets in order to flush them
The toilet floor is on the ground, wet
and marshy underneath. from which bad
doors emanate. Shingles are Off the roof
in many places, and in rainy weather
1t is impossible to keep the closets dry.
From one room children can sit In class
and see those using the toilet because
of exposed condition OF same.
Were this property under the manage
ment of a private citizen I believe the
entire school. from the facts which
mentioned above, would have been de-
clared q nuisance and somebody. under
the health and sanitation law, made to
account for same.
Thomas School.
For ten years or more this school has
been taught. not in q school building nor
anything that looks like a school build
ing, but in the rented basement of tho
African Methodist Episcopal church, cor
ner Of Third avenue and Twenty-ffth
street, with an annex In large room
of an old dilapidated church building
across the avenue.
This school Is closed a part Of each
year on account of the basement being
filled with water in rainy weather, and
the glass being out of many of the win
dow sash, making 1t impossible to keep
warm when cold weather sets In.
Improvised seating arrangement-The
school Is using many of the old-fashioned
benches, where the little children arc
compelled to get down on the floor on
their knees and use the seats as desks
on which to write.
The children are forced to stand and
sit with their feet on cold and often
damp cement floor.
The ceilings are exceptionally low.
Rooms are overorowded. several having
two teachers, making the general condi-
lions worse than at Slater school,
The general conditions Of the Lane and
Cameron schools are about the same as
those mentioned above. For about nine
years the High school has been taught in
three rooms of the Cameron school build
ing, making 1t impossible to accommodate
all children. Therefore, part of the Cam
eron school lie taught In rented church
basement about two squares away.
The very insanitary conditions existing
in the negro schools Of Birmingham as
mentioned above, are Of the worst sort.
such that I believe should not exist un-
der any circumstances. The children's
lives are being endangered. Being
taught habitual constipation on account
of a lack of proper sanitation and n.y.
genie facilities, with verify increased in
vasion Of many other diseases which prey
upon those whose environments and sur
roundings are bad.
These conditions need serious considera-
ton and immediate attention by some one
! In authority.
Many negroes are leaving this city and
district because of the discouraging con-
ditions under which their children arc
forced to get an education.
Many thousand dollars leave this city
per annum by students under high school
grades going to various other schools out
of the district, it Is claimed because the
authorities viii not allow the negroes to
study the elements Of languages and other
subjects commonly taught in all high
schools which are essential to q thorough
understanding of English. This Is indeed
+, a hardship upon those whose earnings are
| scant-
/ The same class of education which ia
| good for one race is also good for the
| other, when both must live side by side,
speaking the same language and under
| the same government. As race, one may
! need more Of q certain class, but that
is no reason why the opportunity should
| be prohibited those Of the other race who
| might desire to enter the higher pursuits
/ Of life A thorough education 70 the foun-