Today Marks 50 Years of Integration in Memphis City Schools
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of integration in Memphis City schools, WMC-TV ran a story about the beginning of desegregation in Memphis. It profiles Rev. Samuel Billy Kyles, whose daughter was one of the thirteen children who became known as the Memphis 13.
Kyles was the head of the NAACP’s Education Committee in 1961 and was part of the bold plan to begin desegregation at city schools with 13 first graders.
“In my own case, my daughter was five years old, and I had to give some thought to putting a five-year-old in that position,” said Kyles. “But we said, well, it’s got to be done. If if has to be done, we will do it.”
Kyles’ daughter and 12 other children became known as the Memphis 13. While Kyles has marched with Martin Luther King, Jr. and been involved in the fight for civil rights his whole life, he was stunned by the intense anger of people who did not want white and black children to attend school together.
Kyles said police had to surround his daughter’s school to keep mobs away, but even some police ordered to protect them hurled racial insults.
Kyles said the courage those 13 first graders and their parents showed is something people of all races should be proud of.
Interesting perspective. Read the entire story here.
