Evening star., 1954-05-19
District Ends
RaciaLbars
AtP|aygrounds
Recreation Bourd
Acts Quickly in
Special Meeting
BY Colt Hendley, Jr.

1NdSAoA oCSICSdOIOIl OIl Vic OIo.
trict's Fairgrounds ended today,
as the Recreation Department
opened gates to all children.
colored or white.
Thus ended local policy that
has caused as much bitter de-
bate in the city as the segregated
public school system. The action
OF the Supreme Court Monday
in banning segregation in schools
led directly to the change in
policy for the Fairgrounds.
Meeting last night in special
session. the District Recreation
Board took just 40 minutes Of
quiet discussion to order an end
to playground segregation in the
Nations Capital. Tie board told
Recreation Supt. Milo Christian
sen to put the order into effect
Immediately. The vote was un-
animouS. with one member abb
sent.
Mr.. Christensen worked late
last night drawing up a directive
to his staff and recreation work.
ers on the Fairgrounds.
All-Day Conference.
The special meeting followed
all-day sessions involving Mr..
Christensen and the three rec
reation board officers-Henry
Gichner, chairman; Grahame T.
Smallwood. vice chairman. and
Mrs. Alice C. Hunter. secretary.
Actually, the action eliminate
ing racial segregation was the
culmlnation of a policy the Rec
reation Board fought out and
adopted back in 1949. That year
the board changed its bylaws.
removing language forbidding in
ter-racial Fairgrounds. Since
then it has been committed to a
policy of gradually eliminating
segregation.
AS of yesterday. 38 of 125 play
grounds had been made inter-
racial under that policy.
1T now is time for the Recre-
alton Board to consider a rec
ommendation for immediate
elimination of segregation on the
Fairgrounds" Mr.. Gichner said
in opening the meeting.
Mrs. Hankins Absent.
Voting with Mr.. Gichner, Mr..
Smallwood and Mrs. Hunter in
approving action were Walter
Fowler. District Budget Officer
and Commissioners representa-
tive on the board Miss Mary H.
Parker, representative of the
District Board of Education. and
Edward j. Kelly, superintendent
of the Interior Department.
National Capital Parks office.
The seventh member of the
board, Mrs. o. G. Hankins. was
absent because of sprained
ankle.
The board members met first
as the transition committee,
which has been handling all
changes of Fairgrounds from
segregated to unSegregated since
l949. The. committee drew up
the resolution and then the
members convened as the Recre-
alton Board for the final action.
AS a part of the action. Mr..
Christensen was ordered to ex-
pedite a reorganization of his
department. which the action
made necessary
I'VE aren't going into this
with our eyes closed" Mr..
Christensen said. I'VE (the
staff have been preparing for
this for some time"
! He said the reorganization
necessary will involve about 20
staff officials in the neighbor-
hood center division This divi-
sion operates the neighborhood
Fairgrounds. It is set up on a
dual basis with director in
charge of the white Fairgrounds
! and a director in charge Of
colored Fairgrounds.
The city-wide division which
controls adult recreation, already
has been reorganized to elimi-
nate the dual set-up along racial
lines.
Simple for Children.
There was some discussion
about whether Mr.. Christensen
could effect the change so sud-
denly. He indicated that was no
real problem because the chill
dren would simply report to the
recreation leaders on duty at the
Fairgrounds today, and that
would be that He said the ad-
ministrative problems can be
worked out over the next few
months.
Mr.. Christensen said recrea-
tion leaders on the Fairgrounds
will be appointed without regard
to race from now on.
I'VE will just try to get the best
possible person for the job," he
commented.
The Recreation Department
opens it's expanded summer sea-
son on June 18. Thus the real
test of the reaction to the change
will not be apparent until the
summer is underway.
Mr. Christensen pointed out
that, in the last four years. each
time a playground was made
inter-racial, attendance by whTe
children dropped sharply and
then began slowly rising again.
Only one public swimming
pool will be affected by the
change. The Recreation Depart
ment operates only two pools.
the one at Georgetown. which
has been for white residents
only. and the one at Rosedale.
which has been inter-racial
civ 10 ct