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Title
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EWP 1 Farmville Herald 1955001
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Place
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Virginia
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Identifier
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1000411
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Is Version Of
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1000411_EWP_Farmville_Herald_1955001.jpg
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Is Part Of
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Uncategorized
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Date Created
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2024-01-07
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Format
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Jpeg Image
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Number
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a477c81a4e8631f126791a835d98045a09fe6a4a1f537102a0f930dabfb72af0
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Source
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/Volumes/T7 Shield/EWP/Elements/EWP_Files/Access Files/Upload temp/1000411_EWP_Farmville_Herald_1955001.jpg
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Publisher
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Digitized by Edwin Washington Project
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Rights
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Loudoun County Public Schools
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Language
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English
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Replaces
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/Volumes/T7 Shield/EWP/Elements/EWP_Files/source/Ingest One/1 Civil Rights/1_Citizen_Study_of_1948/1_Yr_1948_Citizens_Study/Defenders/EWP_Farmville_Herald_1955001.jpg
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extracted text
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The Farmville Herald
Forced Integration Bitter
NTEGRATION of the races in public
schools is not satisfactory anywhere it
has been attempted in the 17 states affect-
ed by the ‘Black Monday unlegal decision
of the U. S. Supreme Court. Even though
Northern newspapers and magazines con-
tinue to advocate integration in schools and
to idolize leaders of the integration move-
ment, information is beginning to come to
the South that all is not pledsant even in
those areas where there is a minority of
Neégroes, who have been integrated for
years. Washington, D. C., which President
Eisenhower wished to be the ‘“model” for
all of the' Nation, is everything but happy
with the situation.
Much has been said abeut Hoxie, Arkan- :
sas, how integration was taking place in
the schools without incident and with
everyone happy. Hoxie opened its schools
in July for a six weeks period, then closed
during the cotton harvesting season, to
open-again in October. Hoxie is the center
of School District 46,, which covers an
area of eight square miles containing 4,000
families. The normal school population is
about 1,000 white students and twenty-
five Negroes. Until the integration experi-
ment, the Negroes were transported 25
mileg to Jonesboro to a Negro school. Hoxie
became notable because a Life Magazine
photographer “covered’” the story at the
July 11th opening, and the reading public
led to believe that all was well at Hoxie.
“On Monday, July 25, someone brought
into town a current issue of Life, which
was passed eagerly from hand to hand . . .
a two-page spread of ‘Integration at Work
in Hoxie,” showing white and Negro chil-
dren self-consciously sitting and playing
together in the Hoxie school.” Things began
to happen.
The Sunday Magazine section of the
New York Times describes conditions in
Hoxie as follows:
“Meanwhile, the whole community has
been split from top to bottom and is envel-
oped by anxiety and bitterness. There have
been threats of violence, intimidation and
economic boycott. Friendships have been
sundered and families have been ostraciz-
ed. Preachers quote Biblical sanctions from
their pulpits both for and against segre-
gation. Communist and other more vague-
ly defined ‘outside influences’ have, it is al-
leged, been at work. :
“Though Hoxie (population 1,855) is the
unlikeliest focus of national attention im-
aginable, both friends and foes of integra-
tion across the land are watching the ‘bat-
tle in a test tube,” with morbid fascination.
For the pressures and the conflicts which
have erupted in Hoxie in the last few
weeks are precisely those that exist —or
are incipient—in any of hundreds of other
Southern towns which sooner or later must
face up to the imperative of the Supreme
Court’s historic anti-segregation decision
of May 17, 1954.”
The Times correspondent reports fur-
ther the appearance of .;Bumnom_o_% dis-
creet Federal Bureau of Investigation
agents inquiring into possible violations of
Federal civil rights statua. This is largely a
strategy of ‘counter intimidation’ engineer-
ed by Penix (attorney for integration)
for the civil rights laws applicable to the
present case are notoriously fragile. But,
real, live G-men in a Town like Hoxie can
stir up a lot of apprehension,” opined the
Times correspondent.
This is the story of Hoxie, Arkansas.
It is not a pretty story, and it shouldn’t
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 1955
|
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happen. These people should be left alone
to work out a solution for their community.
National magazines have overplayed one
side of the integration story in the South.
And we wonder what interest the FBI has
in |Hoxie, Arkansas. We have always had
the greatest repect for the FBI, and they
may have a perfect right to be in Hoxie,
>%§=wmm. but their presence does not per-
mit calm consideration, nor cool thinking
in a situation as we understand it to be in
Hoxie. If the Federal government thinks it
is going to intimidate the South with the
FBI, it is in for some definite disappoint-
ments. If we know the temper of the people
ms_firm South, they will not stand for it.
Some solution for the dilemma can be and
must be found, there is one thing certain,
namely, that it isn’t force, it isn’t intimi-
dation. And that is something that should
understood now.
What has happened in Hoxie, Arkan-
sas, might have happened in Farmville,
which has been the focal point of interest
in this situation. Except, that the people
in| Prince Edward County met the prob-
lem definitely, foursquare, unequivocally.
They know what they want, they have
made it clear, they have not wavered. They
seek a solution peacefully and calmly.
They are not mad with anyone, but they
will not have integration in the public
school system. We believe this to be the
wish and determination of all the white
citizens and a vast majority of the Negro
citizens. They want to attend their own
school.
Certainly the example of Hoxie, Arkan-
sas would convince anyone who had doubts.