The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1943-02-06
Students Air Cause
OF Recent Trouble
Teachers Salaries, Lack
Of Facilities Caused
The Strike
BY JOHN WOOD

Last week the almost one hun.
dred per cent Negro township OF
Inkster jumped from the social
columns OF the newspapers into the
front page headlines as nearly
thousand students OF Inkster high
school went on strike: demanding
higher salaries. better gym facilities
the return OF a former music in
structor and the employment Of a
commercial teacher 10 take charge
OF class room that had been closed
since the last school year Most i'm
poriant OF these demands was the
teachers salary raise, a demand
which was not made by The teach
ers themselves. but by the students
after special meeting the week
before the strike.
To get al the root cause OF dis
content among students oil the
school, discomfort that hds been
brewing fer-HeHihss. Older students
went as far back as ,hrce years 10
criticize conditions which. they said.
do not exist in any other school IN
the Wayne County school system g.
Returning 10 school IN SeptCm-
Der. older students were quick 10
notice that too many changes had
f. ka 90 n
school and the am bstious high school
student. To begin with, they had
to get acquainted with II new
new teachers who replaced former
instructors nov employed IN other
schools OF IN defense factories
Secondly, their former music IN
structor. Harold Kocn had left the
lnksicr school ;0 take a similar 20
s,uon III Greenfield Village Thirdly.
male students noticed that the
scuooi was still without adequate
gym facilities despite The promises
OF teachers and members oi ne
school board pve' a period OF three
years And IN addition 20 the above
grievances. g5tt students carried
thJt commercial classes Al the school
had 10 De d.Scor,nued because the
lnkster sehou board VAS unable to
find teacher 20 take over The class
3; the salary offered
STUDENTS AIR GRIEVANCES
Realizing that al these changes
Constituted serious hsudlcspS 10
Their preparation for college and"
defense framing classes. ;he students
called a series OF conferences, FIRST
win me student body and lhcn With
the teact7CrS ard prTUCTpa. A. cdctr~
meeting they Were told that the
lnkStcr school 5 unable 90 pay good
salaueS. consequently. ;hcy mus,
get used To- the annual change OF
teachers and ger along without a
gymnasium and commercial classes
Bu, the students learned some
thiug else They fe1iZtti45tt= the
teachers themselves WCIe not max
ing much OF dcmaud FOR UCtteE
salaries and that The lnF>ter Svh0oE-
board had made no attempt 10 RAISE Z
Che necessary funds 10 increase sal.
Aries TO the EVE OF those paid teach
srs IN other schools To all their
questions they got the S.ne ANSWER.
There is no money 10 luctcdSe sal
srIes or Improve conditions
STUDENTS CALI. STRIKE
Two weeks , q student committee
headed by Frank Harrington and
Emma 10 Tally called a meeting.
went over the results Of their con
fcrenceS with school. officials and
decided that there was only one
way 10 get Their tory over to the
yeople and state educational OF
ficialS. and that Was 10 cali stu
dents trIke
Every student q; the school was
secretly contacted by a member Of
the committee and gwen The details
OF the plan Of action, and on las,
Tuesday morning. While instructors
60, ready for their morning Glasses.
the students met ~ the school doors
Uniformed a p.Skct line around
the million dollar building Paying
NE attention -tAe-ae5r- fseezlnE-
weather and the ice covered pave.
ment on whlcn they were 10 march
they shou.dered signs demanding =
high school curriculum, com. r
mcrca al teacher adequate gym f..
clliles. the return u Harold
Koch" and "dcccn, salaries" tof the 3
"a a. = ~ no Srt..NAN
TEACHERS SALARIES RAISED
Dairy and weekly ncY ,paperS Tar p
ricd the story " The school stake
although the MShsln Chronicle
was the only paper Nv send 4 repre-.
sentative to The school and hear the
students side OF he story The =
strike had the desired results. for
by Thursday ~ last week. state
and township school officials met
with a student committee and four
teachers who had joined n the pro-
test 10 conditions al the lnkstcr
high school Another meeting was
held on Friday night al which the
lnkStcr school board agreed 10 give
all teachers in the lnkSicr SCHOOL,
system a 20 per cent raise, reTo>>
active 10 September. u
But the students. would M be
paciied with promises Of the kslaW
Increase They also demanded and\
got a promise eE a ArSl eiR.sSA .gx8l- !
nssium and an accredited icA<hcr !
for The commercial class Monday
the students returned 10 their class
rooms with promises 81 improved
conditions al The Schooi-bur tcdv---'
ing warning that unless the prom
ises are kept, they viii strike agaln.
ALCORN TEACHERS SPEAK
ALCORN. Miss Mrs. Ruby S
Lyclls. Librarian. and Walter A
Flowers. associate professor OF Ag-
"a