St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1961-09-22
Housing Ghettoes
Key To Chicago
Segregated Schools
BY Robert Colby Nelson


By Robert Colby Nelson
in the Christian Science Monitor
Chicago.-Once again the United
States Civil Rights Commission
points to Chicago's residential seq
regation as the key factor in ap-
parent racial inequities in the city.
With the seasonal reopening Of
schools, the Chicago Board of Edu-
cation has come under fire for pol
icies largely affecting Negro pup
lis. These policies prevent transfer
of students from overcrowded,
double-shift schools to other less
crowded districts, except in spec
ial cases.
Most predominantly Negro city
residential districts are densely
populated. AS a result the school
districts and classrooms that serve
them are overcrowded. In many in
stances, these schools are on dou-
ble-shift schedules because Of great
numbers of pupils.
Estimate Made
Benjamin c. Wills, Chicago
school superintendent, has esti-
mated that more than 10000 pupils
are on halliday sessions this year.
But the Board Of Education says
it is unable to say whether most
of these are Negro district schools.
Nor can it report how many
Chicago schools have both white
and Negro pupils. In both cases,
the board contends, the questions
are unanswerable because it keeps
no records of students by race or
religion"
This lack of specific official in
formation, however, has not de-
tered the Chicago branch of the
National Association for the Ad-
vancement Of Colored People from
attempting to dramatic its OBJ
jections to Negroes enduring over
crowded and double-shift class
room experiences while reasonably
nearby classrooms in predominant
ly white neighborhoods operate be-
low capacity.
Enrolment Attempt
On opening school day here,
Sept. 6, approximately S5 Negro
youngsters, accompanied by par
ents, several Negro and white
clergymen, and NAACP members
attempted to enroll in 10 white
neighborhood schools known to
have empty seats.
They were politely but firmly
told that pupils may not transfer
out of their home districts without
a special Board of Education per-
mission, purportedly only for med
ical reasons. The protest move en-
countered only a few hecklers and
no disorder.
Before the day ended, Superin-
tendent Willis issued the following
statement: THE schools Of Chi
cago have been integrated since
the city was Incorporated. In fact,
the Chicago public schools to this
day maintain no record of race,
color, or creed Of any student, or
employee. Children are children,
and it is on the basis of residence
that assignment is made to
schools"
Case Not Ended
The Negro case has not ended.
The Rev. Carl A. Fuqua, execu-
tive secretary Of the local NAACP
chapter, says legal action will be
the next step to force the school
board to accept Negroes in less
crowded schools.
In its statement, the Illinois ad-
visory committee to the federal
civil-rghts panel, notes that al.
though the NAACP contends
otherwise, lit appears that there
is not a deliberate policy Of dis
elimination" in Chicago public
schools.
The fact remains" it adds, ''by
: reason Of housing patterns, OF
other factors, that 80 per cent OF
the elementary pupils in Chicago
attend schools which are FREEDOM.
inantly Of one race.
There also is no question that
the schools which are predomin.
antly Negro suffer from serious
problems by reason Of the size OF
school population and classroom
membership"
Committee Reports
The committee reports that Is
Of the % Chicago schools with en-.
rollments of more than 2,10O are
predominantly Negro.
= Parents and educators alike here
: say this puts teachers and teach.
ing under excessive pupil pres.