The Farmville herald. (Farmville, Va.) 1957-current, 1959-12-29

look at the record again. The meeting
sponsored by the Prince Edward Christian
Alliance to bring cheer to LOO schoo-less
Negro children Of Prince Edward County
on December o. resolved itself into pro-
paganda meeting of the NAACP. National,
State. and local NAACP leaders mounted
the rostrum with messages for the estl-
mated 300 adults and the 200 children who
attended. Roy Wilkins, national NAACP
secretary and spokesman, was the sur
prise" promised but the other top billed
celebrities did not attend.
Oliver ". Hill, chief of the Virginia
legal staff, made several significant state
ments:
ID Some benighted individuals are try 4
ing to entice you away from your rights by
promising you a private school
~ A private school for Negroes is being
organized for one or both Of two reasons
Either white schools are failing. need bolster
ing or need money. because they are t
afraid of the pless Spotlight Of public opinion
on Prince Edward County whatever they
do they are not doing this to improve your best
interests.
Let's look at the Record.
The school strike on April % 1851.
community. 1t was certainly not in keeping
with the historic background of the people
in this agricultural community What nap
pened in the county prior to the strike pos
sibly some of the Negro people know and
the white population can surmlse. Suffice
it to say that future events cause one to
wonder that the Negro children could have
conceived of this strategy by themselves.
The NAACP was advised Immediately
Of the strike, the same day A few days
later its attorney Oliver w. Hill and other
NAACP state officers attended the meet
ing, of the Parent-Teachers Association.
The announced purpose Of the strike,
namely to secure a new high school build
ing, was immediately changed to forcing
indignation in the County, schools.
1t was no happenstance that this suit
was brought at the time it was, and that
suits in six other states were instituted to
coincide, or that all of these suits were
to reach the U. S. Supreme Court at the
same time and be considered as a whole.
Since that time the legal pressures have
been on Prince Edward County, and remain
SO. Inc long legal proceedings uGeu HOI NC
reviewed here. Unsuccessful in state courts,
and federal district courts, the cases were
heard finally by the Z. S. Supreme Court.
The u. S. Supreme Court on Black Monday,
May II, 1854 handed down its decision,
which when properly interpreted forbid
the exclusion Of any applicant to public
schools because of race or national origin.
The nation was stunned The highest
court had thrown aside all legal precedent,
usurped authority of the sovereign states,
in effect amended the u s. Constitution
by judicial fiat
First stunned, the people of Prince
Edward rebounded within sixty days. The
damage to the Constitution, the usurpation
of the sovereign rights of the states were
Immediately recognized. The people organ
lied to offset the activities of the outside
influences. Constitutional lawyers discus
sed the action Of the Supreme Court, South
ern leaders recognized the attack being
made upon mores of the South
: Northern newspapers, and magazines
pulled down the paper curtain" Even the
illustrious Saturday Evening Post was TAX
en- in by Mrs. Sarah Patton Boyle, billed as
a typical Southern woman Of Charlottes-
vile in her now famous article, "The South
will like Indignation"
A year later, May 81, 1855 at 100 pm.
the Supreme Court bolstered by the paper
curtain, handed down its implementing or
der Seven hours later, the Board Of Super
visors Of Prince Edward County, withheld
school funds from its budget except on
month-to-month basis
Seven days later, June 8, 1865, the people
of Prince Edward in mass meeting, en-
dorsed the action of the Board of Super
visors and authorized the establishment of
the Prince Edward Educational Corpora
ton to assure teachers for the white schools
in 1856. Voluntary pledges and dona-