EP #3: Against All Odds: The Story of Prince Edward County’s Refusal to Educate (Systemic Racism in Education)

On this episode of “Active Allyship…it’s more than a #hashtag!”
…Sunni and Lisa hear first hand accounts of Norman C. Neverson’s
(Sunni’s Uncle) journey from hardship to haven through an
educational system, specifically designed to exclude him.
Honestly, it feels like you’re eavesdropping as little known
facts are revealed, get ready for the big twist!  

Here is some information on the Closing of Prince Edward County's
Schools from www.virginiahistory.org  Our guest, Norman
Neverson was one of the children affected. 

After Virginia's school-closing law was ruled unconstitutional in
January 1959, the General Assembly repealed the compulsory school
attendance law and made the operation of public schools a local
option for the state's counties and cities. Schools that had been
closed in Front Royal, Norfolk, and Charlottesville reopened
because citizens there preferred integrated schools to none at
all. It was not so in Prince Edward County. Ordered on May 1,
1959, to integrate its schools, the county instead closed its
entire public school system.


The Prince Edward Foundation created a series of private schools
to educate the county's white children. These schools were
supported by tuition grants from the state and tax credits from
the county. Prince Edward Academy became the prototype for
all-white private schools formed to protest school integration.


No provision was made for educating the county's black children.
Some got schooling with relatives in nearby communities or at
makeshift schools in church basements. Others were educated out
of state by groups such as the Society of Friends. In 1963–64,
the Prince Edward Free School picked up some of the slack. But
some pupils missed part or all of their education for five
years.


Cali by Wataboi https://soundcloud.com/wataboi
Creative Commons — Attribution 3.0 Unported — CC BY 3.0
Free Download / Stream:  https://bit.ly/wataboi-cali
Music promoted by Audio Library https://youtu.be/qXptaqHIH5g