New Segregation Flare up in Sturgis, Kentucky (CH2 Vol 9, #183)
Identifier
F.2012-03-1981
Date Of Production
September 1956
Abstract
Silent Telenews coverage of the violent response to the attempted racial desegregation at Sturgis High School in rural Western Kentucky in 1956.
Two years after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision declared school segregation unconstitutional, ten Black students attempted to enroll at the all-white Sturgis High School on September 4, 1956. Turned back by a jeering mob, they appealed to governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler, who called out the National Guard to maintain peace. The Guard held back the crowd the next morning as nine Black students entered the school. The National Guard was stationed in Sturgis for 18 days. On September 19, State Attorney General Jo M. Ferguson ruled that since the Union County School Board had not made provisions for an “orderly process” of school desegregation, the Black students could not be admitted until the School Board made adequate plans. The school did not reopen to Black students until the following September.
Read more about the desegregation of Sturgis High School here.
Two years after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision declared school segregation unconstitutional, ten Black students attempted to enroll at the all-white Sturgis High School on September 4, 1956. Turned back by a jeering mob, they appealed to governor A.B. "Happy" Chandler, who called out the National Guard to maintain peace. The Guard held back the crowd the next morning as nine Black students entered the school. The National Guard was stationed in Sturgis for 18 days. On September 19, State Attorney General Jo M. Ferguson ruled that since the Union County School Board had not made provisions for an “orderly process” of school desegregation, the Black students could not be admitted until the School Board made adequate plans. The school did not reopen to Black students until the following September.
Read more about the desegregation of Sturgis High School here.
Description
Begins with footage of National Guard troops marching in front of Sturgis High School with rifles. Tanks and other military vehicles drive up the road towards the school. Four Black students are seen exiting one of the cars and walking into the school as Guardsmen and white students look on. The camera observes the large crowd of students, teachers, journalists, and law enforcement personnel gathered in front of the school.
Run Time
1 min 36 sec
Format
16mm
Extent
100 feet
Color
B&W
Sound
Silent
Reel/Tape Number
1/1
Has Been Digitized?
Yes
Element
Print
Genre
Form
Subject
Related Collections
Related Places
Distributor
Main Credits
Koza, Frank (is filmmaker)
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