The former R.R. Moton High School #2 that was subsequently used by the Free School Association (currently Prince Edward County High School)
Students locked out of the second R.R. Moton High School (the current Prince Edward County High School).
On June 15, 1964, the Prince Edward Free School Association prepared to graduate twenty-three seniors. This small group was the first class of African American students to be allowed to achieve a diploma since the public schools had been closed in 1959. As these students stood on the stage, they were accompanied by a lone white student named Dickie Moss. The 1964 school year not only marked the end of the school closures, but the beginning of integration in Prince Edward County as well.
When Virginia's policy of "Massive Resistance" to integration was struck down by the courts, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors shut down the public schools by removing the tax revenue that made them possible. At first, these tax dollars were reallocated to support the creation of an all-white private school known as the "Prince Edward Academy." White students were provided with vouchers and tax credits in order to pay for the tuition, while black students were denied the right to a free and public education. Reverend Leslie Francis Griffin worked with community leaders and other volunteers to provide "training centers" in black churches, but a lack of funding and resources made it difficult to replace the public school infrastructure. Griffin coordinated with the NAACP to file suit against the county, and his son "Skip" even served as the plaintiff in Griffin v. Prince Edward County, but the case took years to make its way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, thousands of African American children were deprived of an education. In 1963, the Kennedy Administration intervened in order to establish the "Prince Edward Free School Association."
When Virginia's policy of "Massive Resistance" to integration was struck down by the courts, the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors shut down the public schools by removing the tax revenue that made them possible. At first, these tax dollars were reallocated to support the creation of an all-white private school known as the "Prince Edward Academy." White students were provided with vouchers and tax credits in order to pay for the tuition, while black students were denied the right to a free and public education. Reverend Leslie Francis Griffin worked with community leaders and other volunteers to provide "training centers" in black churches, but a lack of funding and resources made it difficult to replace the public school infrastructure. Griffin coordinated with the NAACP to file suit against the county, and his son "Skip" even served as the plaintiff in Griffin v. Prince Edward County, but the case took years to make its way to the Supreme Court. In the meantime, thousands of African American children were deprived of an education. In 1963, the Kennedy Administration intervened in order to establish the "Prince Edward Free School Association."
Photos courtesy of Longwood University, Robert R. Moton Museum, and "Freedom Schools for Racial Justice" by AFTHQ
Song: "Rise Up" by Andra Day
Song: "Rise Up" by Andra Day
“The only places on earth not to provide free public education are communist China, North Vietnam, Sarawak, Singapore, British Honduras - and Prince Edward County, Virginia."
-U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy; March 19, 1963; Louisville, Kentucky
Superintendent Dr. Neil Sullivan
Attorney General Robert Kennedy recruited Dr. Neil Sullivan to oversee the new Free School system. Three weeks before classes were scheduled to resume, Sullivan was appointed as Superintendent. Dr. Sullivan and the Free School Board of Trustees, led by Chairman Colgate Darden, had to clean and repair the four buildings planned to be used. The buildings were Mary E. Branch No. 1 and No. 2, Robert Russa Moton High School, and Worsham Elementary. The four schools were in considerable disrepair after being unoccupied for the last four years. Sullivan recalled, “No maps, charts, or globes were in evidence . . . schools that had once housed 650 students only had one microscope for biology… the library only had a few volumes and there were no textbooks, only those who could afford it brought them from home.” Twenty buses and ninety-nine teachers were also needed. The United States Department of Education estimated that it would cost $1 million to make the free schools operational.
“I silently wished that the community would give public education the same attention it gave public cleanliness."
-Dr. Neil Sullivan, Bound For Freedom
Letitia Tew is pictured at the bottom left alongside her classmates.
Educators from around the country rushed to answer the desperate call for faculty and staff. Finding housing for all the teachers became difficult, and rent on a single room in Farmville more than doubled. Mrs. Patsy Franklin was one of the few Prince Edward natives who chose to teach at the Free Schools. She had graduated from Robert Russa Moton High School in 1957 and Virginia State College in 1961 with a degree in teaching.
Tension heightened as news spread of northern teachers moving into the area. Dr. Sullivan was threatened and his home and vehicle were damaged. The bus planning to carry Letitia Tew, a white eight-year old, was threatened to be pushed off the road. In addition to Dickie Moss, Tew was one of the few white students who attended the Free Schools. Moss was the son of Dr. Gordon Moss, a history professor and Dean at nearby Longwood College who openly opposed the school closings.
The deficit of four years without education had severely delayed the development of many students. Sullivan recalled, “A majority of our students under twelve didn’t know left from right, back from front, or top from bottom. And getting them to say even a word or two was next to impossible. They mumbled. They used signs. In short, they seemed to have lost all ability to communicate." Some of the high school students were in their twenties and a number of them had to quit their jobs in order to return to school. These students were given the opportunity to earn spending money by working at the school as cafeteria workers, library assistants, and playground supervisors. As the school year advanced, exceptional progress was made as the faculty adjusted their teaching styles in order to accommodate the needs of their students. The traditional K-12 system was abandoned in order to allow students to develop at their own pace. Grades on IQ tests went up considerably (25-35 points) after being shown textbooks with diverse content on their respective reading levels. Sullivan recounted that, "students seemed to be awaking slowly, as though coming out of a long sleep. As they did, they found words to express the dreams and the nightmares of the past four years..."
Tension heightened as news spread of northern teachers moving into the area. Dr. Sullivan was threatened and his home and vehicle were damaged. The bus planning to carry Letitia Tew, a white eight-year old, was threatened to be pushed off the road. In addition to Dickie Moss, Tew was one of the few white students who attended the Free Schools. Moss was the son of Dr. Gordon Moss, a history professor and Dean at nearby Longwood College who openly opposed the school closings.
The deficit of four years without education had severely delayed the development of many students. Sullivan recalled, “A majority of our students under twelve didn’t know left from right, back from front, or top from bottom. And getting them to say even a word or two was next to impossible. They mumbled. They used signs. In short, they seemed to have lost all ability to communicate." Some of the high school students were in their twenties and a number of them had to quit their jobs in order to return to school. These students were given the opportunity to earn spending money by working at the school as cafeteria workers, library assistants, and playground supervisors. As the school year advanced, exceptional progress was made as the faculty adjusted their teaching styles in order to accommodate the needs of their students. The traditional K-12 system was abandoned in order to allow students to develop at their own pace. Grades on IQ tests went up considerably (25-35 points) after being shown textbooks with diverse content on their respective reading levels. Sullivan recounted that, "students seemed to be awaking slowly, as though coming out of a long sleep. As they did, they found words to express the dreams and the nightmares of the past four years..."
