The Chapel Hill weekly., 1959-03-19
Intensely Practical Questions
Greensboro Daily News

Dean Henry Brands. Jr, OF the University
OF North Carolina Law School focused the logic
OF orderly inlnd on the unfortunate Suzzlness
Of the Chapel Hill Fellowship for IntegrauoD at
. panel meeting the other night.
Dean Brands had been invited 10 speak as 3
member Of the Chapel Hill Board Of Education
Instead Of answering prepared questions one by
one, Dean Brands cOuntered with questions Of
ms Owl.
The meetings. purpose centered on pushing
the Chapel Hill Board Of Education 10 Do more
than had done In promoting school lntegr alton
The assumption was that the board Of education
had failed " take the initiative
Dean Brands made it quite clear that as
member OF the school board he quite pre-
pared to vote aVorably upon the application Of
Negro parent to transfer a child from one
school 10 another when ] think the application
Is mertoriouS without regard 10 the question
Of race
But then after noting that the Chapel Hill
school board is under no legal Compulsi0n 10
do anything more than it has already done he
asked the fellowship actually what II would have
the school board do
II you suggest that our elementary schools
should be ntegrated and that assignment should
be made along geographical lines, roughly where
would you draw those lines Whose children
would be affected? Would We have d situation
with white children N minority IN some schools
and ie" no Negroes IN others? Would you
favor such q result Would you anticipate that
this would lead 10 large number OF applications
by white paTents--not lncOncelVably including
some Of yOu-to have their children ransieTed2
In such event what should be the attitude Of
the board?
il you advocate integratIOn al the high school
level. would you favor sending half the students
Of each race 10 each high school? How would you
make the aphlcally OF by los
u by some other principle?
DO you favor merely token integration with
the board selecting few Negroes to be ass gned
10 each white school? II 50, what method Of selec-
ton DO you believe the board should usc2 II the
board selected some children whose parents pre-
ierred not TO have them transfer, should the
boarG then find substitutes?
Or DO you favor some procedure involving
assignment Of more than token number OF
Negroes 10 white schools, but something short
OF complete Integration? II so, what method Of
selection do you favor? And, IN view Of our cur
rent space problems. can you devise way Of as
signing substantial number OF Negro students
10 white schools without assigning equal
number Of white children to Negro schools
Dean Brands questions, OF course were very
much to the point.
every situation involving school desegregauon
under the new law Of the land.
They also demonstrate the necessary and
welcome fexibility Of North Carolinas pupil
assignment plan. That plan follows the late
Judge John j. ParkerS Interpretation Of the
Brown decision II does not demand compulsory
integration; II rather outlaws compulsory seq
regaon or racial discrimination on an individual
basis where the individual Objects.
Thus school board must administer the pupil
assignment law fairly and without discrimina-
ton But that does not mean 1t can or should
with any equity embark on a positive program
OF integration per SCI for then II would run head
on into the complex questions Dean Brands rails
ed Where does fairness for one race become un-
fairness for snother7 How can equity Of both