The Miami times. [volume] (Miami, Fla.) 1923-current, 1955-05-14
500 Schools Dese9regated Since
High Court Ruling, Study Shows
DESPITE EFFORTS
OF RACISTS,
AGITATORS

bite the efforts of raciStS and agi-
tatorS who are trying to sabotage
he u. S. Supreme Court decis-
ion banning segregation in edu-
cation, indignation of the nations
schools is quietly succeeding.
This progress was confirmed
by results of a study by the
NAACP. which showed that in
the IL months following the his
toric court decision, nearly ESQ.,
600 Negro and White children are
attending classes peaceably to-
gether in 500 public elementary
and secondary schools which, UNI
til last year, had been for the ex-
elusive use Of boys and girls of
one race or the other.
Further confirmation of the
gains made in desegregation came
recently from Charles A. Nc
Knight, former editor of the
Charlotte (NC) News, and now
director of the Southern Educa-
ton Reporting Service.
Addressing the American So
ciety of Newspapers, Mcknight
reported "quiet constructive and
unspectacular" progress in school
segregation. However, he also
criticized the press for doing a
sloppy JOB of reporting the pro-
greSS. He charged the press with
giving minimum of cOverage" to
deSegregation gains, while playing
up news of racial incidents.
The "quiet progress of
which Mcknight spoke was evil
denced in the NAACP's study,
which revealed that among the
500 deSegregated schools are
those located in four of the six
communities involved in cases on
which the Supreme Court ruled
last year. Following the decision
Washington, d. c., initiated de-
segregation. Earlier the Topeka,
Kansas school board voted "to
terminate segregation in the ele-
mentary schools as rapidly as
practicable"
AhC SWO SlNOOl AloG bSbo llA tic
Delaware case already had adj
mitted Negro pupils in compli-
ance with state supreme court
ruling.
What has happened, the NAACP
stated. is that deSegregation was
being effected on a voluntary
basis. Since the court has refrain
ed from handing down DEGREES or
dering state and local authorities
to proceed forthwith to desegre-
gate the schools because of {.
considerable completely" the
NAACP termed the indignation of
the 500 schools as peaceful
transition"
According to the NAACP, the
100000 Negro and White child
rem represent only a tiny minor
ity of the 1891 900 White and
1881, 900 Negro children enrolled
in schools in the segregated areas
but it shows that "desegregation
more often than not has been &C
compliShed in the past year di-
rectly and without incident"
The NAACP also praised the
Roman Catholic Church for de-
segregating many of its parochial
schools. particularly in the
Washington and st. Louis areas,
although private schools are not
subject TO the Supreme Courts
ruling.
Meanwhile. West Virginia and
Missouri were reported in the lead
in school indignation. Of the "A
West Virginia counties in which
Negro School-age children live,
20 have initiated deSegregation in
Guiding IL which have completely
integrated. In Missouri, ITO of the
lit school districts reporting Ne
gro children have opened prev
iouSly White schools to colored
pupils.
Release of the NAACP statiS-
tics was apparently planned to
coincide with the May IT ami
verSary of the high court decis-
ion. On that date q year ago, the
Supreme Court ruled segregation
in public schools unconstitutional.
la handing down the historic
decision. the nine justices unan-
inousIy agreed .'that in the field
of public education. the doctrine
Of separate but equal has no
place." They further asserted:
Separate educational facilities
are inherently unequal" The de-
cision thus upset a pattern which
ne South has used for SO years
Il --..A.s.. LIN TAr.oxnr schools