Preserving Dunbar: Involuntary Integration

During segregation, Dunbar 4th St. School was the cornerstone of education in the Black community.
{Contributed photo/Davidson County Historical Museum}

Integrate (per Merriam-Webster): to form, coordinate, or blend into a functioning or unified whole.

A segregated Lexington

Beginning post-Civil War until 1968, segregation was the way of life in America. Defined by Google Dictionary, the word means set apart from the rest or from each other; isolate or divide. This division was reinforced by Jim Crow laws that were enacted to uphold white supremacy, systemic racism, oppression.

Teenagers swim at Washington Park also known as “The Black Pool” in 1960. {Contributed photo}

Lexington was no different than many cities across the country. Black people were regulated to entering through back doors at restaurants and stores. There were separate water fountains and swimming pools in the city. The local movie theater only allowed Black people inside of the building on certain days at certain times.

Children attended separate schools as well. Black children were all educated at Dunbar School on 4th Street until 1952 when Dunbar High School (DHS) opened on Smith Ave. It served students from seventh until twelfth grade.

May 17, 1954

In 1896, the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled in Plessy v. Ferguson that segregation was lawful if both groups had access to equal facilities. This ruling was the foundation for the “separate but equal” doctrine that would become engrained into the country’s fabric.

For Oliver Brown, this was unacceptable. In 1951, he filed a lawsuit in Topeka, KS against the Board of Education after his daughter was denied admittance into Topeka’s all-white school system. His case was combined with four others into the landmark case known as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka.

On May 17, 1954, SCOTUS unanimously ruled against school segregation. Justice Earl Warren stated in the “field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place,” as segregated schools are “inherently unequal.”

Amidst its ruling, no specifics were given to how school systems should handle integration. The following year, SCOTUS ordered district courts and school boards to proceed with desegregation “with all deliberate speed.”

Un-deliberate Speed in Lexington

By 1963, the urge to integrate was nearly nonexistent in Lexington. It had been nearly 10 years since SCOTUS’ ruling yet black and white students were still attending school, separately.

According to research done by DHS graduate, Charles Owens, the late Jimmy Henderson was asked by his father, the late Harvey Henderson, in 1963 if he would consider transferring from Dunbar 4th St. School to Lexington Junior High School (LJHS). At the time, LJHS was located on W. 2nd St. in the building that currently houses the city’s post office.

Harvey, then president for Lexington’s chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, was no stranger to the fight for civil rights. Believing action was key, he filed papers for Jimmy to transfer. After his request was denied by the board of education, he traveled to Greensboro where he filed papers in a federal court.

{Contributed photo}

Days later, a federal judge ruled the board of education was in contempt. In 1964, 10 years after the Supreme Court’s historic ruling, Jimmy became the first Black student to attend Lexington City Schools (LCS). He excelled in the classroom and at sports, most notably football. Jimmy was named most valuable player and received all-conference honors. He attended Appalachian State University on a scholarship after graduating from Lexington Senior High School (LSHS).

While Jimmy’s barrier-breaking transfer was revolutionary, the floodgates didn’t automatically open for Black students. A few made the transition while many continued to attend Dunbar 4th St. and DHS.

{Contributed photo/Charles Coleman family}

In 1966, Hazel Mae Arnett, Betty Lou Holloway and Gegertha O. Michael became the first Black students to graduate from LSHS. Subsequently, the following year, a decision was made to fully integrate LCS. The Class of 1967 was the last to call DHS its alma mater.

Dunbar would remain closed for a year before reopening in 1968 to service sixth- and seventh-grade students. The school closed in 2008 when (then) Charles England Intermediate School relocated to Cornelia St.

A Legacy

To this day, many in Lexington still credit the bravery of the Henderson’s with ushering in a movement towards equality. As quoted in public records, those who knew the father and son, continue to shine a light on their willingness to challenge the status quo.

Former Lexington Police Department Lt. Ralph Michael, Jr., a teammate of Jimmy’s, said his good friend “never frowned or complained about anything.”

Donnie Holt, educator and former director of student services for LCS, stated he “looked up to Henderson as a football player and…how he conducted himself with style and grace as a competitive and hard-nosed running back.”

Perhaps Don Walser summed it up best. “Harvey Henderson and his son, Jimmy, literally changed Lexington from a civil rights perspective.”

The late Harvey Henderson (left) and his son, Jimmy.
{Contributed photo/Henderson family}

The Class of 1967 was the last class to graduate from Dunbar High School.
{Contributed photo/Charles Owens}