Resources for Research on the Desegregation of Virginia Schools

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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, Civil Action Case #50: Walter B. Alston, et al. vs. School Board of the City of Norfolk, et al. 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division, Civil Action Case #50: Walter B. Alston, et al. vs. School Board of the City of Norfolk, et al. 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Norfolk Division
Description In October of 1938, attorney Thurgood Marshall filed a petition for Norfolk teacher Arline Black. Black was seeking salary equalization from the School Board of the City of Norfolk and was consequently fired. After Black moved to New York, Marshall filed the suit on behalf of Melvin Alston, president of the Norfolk Teachers Association. Though they lost the first case, a federal appeals court ordered that African-American teachers should be paid salaries equal to those of white teachers. The plaintiffs in the case stated that their constitutional right of “equal protection” – guaranteed under the 14th Amendment – was being violated due to the school board discriminating on the grounds of race and color. The 1940 case found that white and African-American public school teachers with comparable qualifications needed to be paid equally. This case was one of the first cases to assert equal educational rights for African-Americans.
Call number Civil Action Case #50
Date from 1938
Date to 1940
Geographic school Norfolk, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    African Americans–Education

o    African American educators

o    Marshall, Thurgood, 1908-1993

o    Teachers–Salaries, etc.–United States
Types Legal documents
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USDC, Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division, Civil Action Case #103- James S. Buckner, JR., et al vs. the County School Board Greene County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division, Civil Action Case #103- James S. Buckner, JR., et al vs. the County School Board Greene County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Western District of Virginia, Charlottesville Division
Description In an April 1963 suit, the parents of several black school children residing in Greene County, VA brought suit against the County School Board. The parents suit revolved around the fact that their children had been assigned(and had their transfer requests denied) to Burley High School in Charlottesville, along with all other black elementary school graduates, while their white counterparts were assigned to William Monroe High School located in Greene County. The case was quickly dismissed after the Commonwealth’s Pupil Placement Board suggested that it had placed all of the plaintiffs in the case in the schools that they desired with the exception of those who had not adequately filled out the necessary paperwork for transfer. The plaintiffs appealed the case to the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals a year later on the following merits: 1) Some African American students were voluntarily still attending Burley High School in Charlottesville, despite it not being compulsory. The plaintiffs believed that said students would be forced to attend the single high school in Greene County, William Monroe. 2) There was a continuation of segregation in school busing in that not a single black student shared a bus with a single white student. 3) The continued voluntary separation of the races in the elementary schools of the County. It was determined that the Greene County School Board was in full compliance with the law and had been cooperative throughout the case; the injunction sought by the plaintiffs was denied.
Call number Civil Action Case #103
Date from 1963
Date to 1966
Geographic school Greene County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Busing for school integration

o    High school students

o    Public schools

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Public schools–Virginia–Charlottesville

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)
Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia -Newport News Division, Civil Action Case # 489-Jerome Atkins, et al vs. School Board of the City of Newport News, VA, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia -Newport News Division, Civil Action Case # 489-Jerome Atkins, et al vs. School Board of the City of Newport News, VA, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia -Newport News Division
Description In April 1956, the parents of Jerome Atkins and 53 other children filed suit in the U.S. District Court that the school board of Newport News, VA, was denying the plaintiffs their civil rights under the 14th Amendment by continuing to enforce racial segregation in the city schools. The plaintiffs petitioned the Court to restrain the school board from barring admission to any student on the grounds of race. The lead attorney for the plaintiffs was future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Trial proceedings were held in November 1956 and in February 1957, the District Court ruled that racial segregation in the Newport News school system must end and that the schools must be opened on an integrated basis by the start of the 1957-1958 school year. The defendants appealed the ruling to the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals. In July 1957, the Circuit Court upheld the District Court’s decision ending racial segregation in the Newport News school system.
Call number Civil Action Case # 489
Date from 1956
Date to 1958
Geographic school Newport News, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    Segregation in education

o    Topeka (Kan.). Board of Education–Trials, litigation, etc.

o    Marshall, Thurgood, 1908-1993

o    District courts–Virginia

o    Public schools–Virginia–Newport News

o    United States. Circuit Courts
Types Legal documents
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3822- Audrey D. Hill, et al vs. the County School Board of Prince George County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3822- Audrey D. Hill, et al vs. the County School Board of Prince George County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description In October 1963, a class action suit was brought against the School Board of Prince George County on behalf of black students in the County. The plaintiff’s claim rested on the biracial school system of the County in which certain schools had entirely black student bodies and staff and conversely others entirely white student bodies and staff. The plaintiff’s argued that the defendants made no effort to desegregate the public school system as they were bound by law. Solely on the basis of race, the County, “deliberately and purposefully” require student, staff and administrative to be assigned to particular schools with all but any exceptions. When a number of black students applied to gain admittance to predominately white schools in October and November of 1962 for the 1962-63 school year and again for the following school year (1963-64), the applications were disproved by the Pupil Placement Board. The reason for denial was cited as follows: “enrollment would contribute to an intolerable overcrowded condition in the [particular] grade of the [school to which the application was made].” Under the Fourteenth Amendment, the plaintiffs claimed that they were being deprived of their liberties and equal protection under the law. No plan for any degree of desegregation existed for the present or future in the County. As a result of the plaintiff’s ultimate acceptance to the schools to which they applied, the injunction of a mandated desegregated system was denied by the Court. No plan for desegregation was required to subsequently be submitted to the Court in the order. Additionally, the plaintiff’s costs for the action were to be recovered, but attorney fees denied.
Call number Civil Action Case #3822
Date from 1963
Date to 1973
Geographic school Prince George County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education
Types Legal documents
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4263- Pecola Annette Wright, et al vs. the County School Board of Greensville County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4263- Pecola Annette Wright, et al vs. the County School Board of Greensville County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description Beginning in March 1965, a suit was brought against the County School Board of Greensville for operating a dual educational system in its public schools. The Court ruled that that the County could not operate “disproportionately” white or black public schools. In August 1969, the plaintiffs filed a supplemental complaint alleging that the City Council and School Board of the City Emporia had taken steps to establish a city school system independent of the Greensville County systems, thus making it exempt from the previous desegregation order. Until August 1969, pupils residing in the City attended County public schools (the City had been reimbursing the County for this expense). Emporia denied the plaintiff’s assertion that they were attempting to “frustrate” the efforts of the Greensville County School Board to implement the Court ordered desegregation plan. They, in turn, asserted that as the City dealt with the transition of affording education to the pupils within its own borders, a “free choice plan” was being offered. The plaintiffs objected. A key obstacle to this case was the July 1967 transformation of Emporia from a town into a city, severing it from Greensville politically, economically, and otherwise under the Virginia Constitution. The City believed it had the right to be represented in the Greensville County School Board and the ownership of the school buildings and properties within its borders. The U.S. Supreme Court disagreed with latter assertion, furthermore decreeing that the City of Emporia had no grounds to compel the County of Greensville to transfer ownership of the schools. The issue of representation on the County School Board was seen as moot by the Court. The reason for Emporia being unrepresented on the School Board, having no control over the school’s budgets or the type of education offered, and no ownership over school property, was its voluntary payment to Greensville, cited the Court. Emporia’s 1967 “voluntary divorce” from Greensville was seen as a major obstacle. Greensville sought reconciliation and a merger, however Emporia remained uninterested. In 1969, Emporia filed suit against Greensville to gain ownership of school buildings within the City and rights to seize certain funds in the Greensville general treasury. An additional suit was filed that year by Emporia to invalidate a contract between its governing body and that of Greensville County. Rulings were handed down in favor of Greensville in both matters, both in the original jurisdiction and again at the appeals level. The City claimed taxation without representation, the Court was not amused. Finally, on June 11, 1981, an agreement was finally reached. Among the details agreed upon was the adoption of a written policy concerning the placement of teachers, staff and students to “disproportionately” white and black schools and/or classrooms. Future groupings of students were to be done on the basis of test scores. Standardized tests, honors programs, pension programs, teacher placement, etc. were also discussed in the terms. The defendants agreed to pay counsel fees for the plaintiff. Both parties agreed upon the wording of a joint press release.
Call number Civil Action Case #4263
Date from 1965
Date to 1981
Geographic school Greensville County, VA
Size 1 1/2 Boxes
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    Public schools

o    Race relations

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    United States. Supreme Court

o    Virginia. Department of Education

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)

o    Public schools–Virginia–Greensville County

o    Public schools–Virginia–Emporia
Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3518- Edward Alvin Bell, et al vs. County School Board of Powhatan County, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3518- Edward Alvin Bell, et al vs. County School Board of Powhatan County, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description On August 17, 1962, 65 African American students and their parents filed a class action suit against the School Board of Powhatan County, the Division Superintendent of Schools and the members of the Commonwealth’s Pupil Placement Board. They alleged that the District refused to process the necessary paperwork of the students, which was filled out properly and timely, for their respective transfers to the white institution. The forms were also, in many cases withheld from black students, while the ones that were obtained sat idle upon being submitted. There are two schools in the County, one comprising of an all-white student body and staff and the other, conversely, with an all-black student body and faculty. After a January 2, 1963 trial at the District Court, an injunction against the racial segregation in the admission of school students was granted. Furthermore, the Court enjoined the defendants from closing the public schools in their County as had been the case upon receiving a similar verdict earlier in the neighboring Prince Edward County. The County was to submit a desegregation plan within 90 days. As a result of the necessary time to formulate the plan, all save three of the defendants were not made able to transfer schools. Two days after the previously order was delivered; it was suspended as a result of a pending appeal filed on behalf of the defense. The plaintiffs chose to appeal this turn of events, forcing the defendants to subsequently file a counter-appeal. In the ensuing appeal process, the School Board was deemed to have been actively engaged in perpetuating segregation. The three original students, in addition to the remainder of the infant plaintiffs, were to be admitted to the white, Powhatan School. Additionally, the original decision not to award council fees to the plaintiff was reconsidered.
Call number Civil Action Case #3518
Date from 1962
Date to 1973
Geographic school Powhatan County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School closings

o    School integration

o    School integration–Massive resistance movement

o    Segregation in education

o    Virgina. Pupil Placement Board

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)

o    Public schools–Virginia–Prince Edward County
Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

o    Reports
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case # 3536: United States v. County School Board of Prince George County, et al. 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case # 3536: United States v. County School Board of Prince George County, et al. 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description In 1962, the Department of Defense recognized the matter of desegregating educational facilities and family housing on military bases, in particular Fort Lee, Virginia. Fourteen years prior to the case President Harry Truman issued Executive Order 9981 stating that the highest standards of democracy were to be maintained in the armed forces; equality of treatment and opportunity were to be implemented immediately. Coincidentally, African-American servicemen and their children did not receive the equal rights guaranteed under Truman’s Order. As a result, the case was brought before the Eastern District court of Richmond, pitting the Department of Defense against the School board; specifically the Pupil Placement Board of Petersburg and St. George County. During the trial the prosecution showed the court that not only were the defendants blatantly refusing accommodation for minority students but the Board had a policy in effect that prevented minority children from receiving the same rights during the application process. Citing Truman’s Order, the 14th Amendment and the fact that they honorably served their country during war time, the servicemen won the case. All schools on military bases were to be desegregated without delay. This case led to a 1963 directive written by Secretary of State McNamara that stated the immediate elimination of discrimination in family housing.
Call number Civil Action Case # 3536
Date from 1962
Date to 1963
Geographic school Prince George County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    Virginia. Pupil Placement Board

o    African American soldiers

o    District courts–Virginia

o    Executive orders–United States

o    Truman, Harry S, 1884-1972

o    United States. Department of Defense

o    Children of military personnel
Types o    Government papers

o    Legal documents
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3353- Carolyn Bradley and Michael Bradley, etc. vs. School Board of the City of Richmond, Virginia, et al and the Commonwealth of Virginia Pupil Placement Board, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #3353- Carolyn Bradley and Michael Bradley, etc. vs. School Board of the City of Richmond, Virginia, et al and the Commonwealth of Virginia Pupil Placement Board, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description This suit began in 1961 with the plaintiffs suing the School Board of the City of Richmond. The initial court-ordered “freedom-of-choice” plan proved unworkable in practice. In 1970, the Court ordered students and faculty to be reassigned. After the 1970 decision, the plaintiff and defendant coupled with the school boards of two neighboring counties filed suit against the State Department of Education and is superintendent of public instruction. At the district court level, it was determined that constitutional violations had taken place at the county and state levels and both were charged with the inter-district consolidation of the greater Richmond school districts. This verdict was later reversed. Subsequent to the 1972 decision (overturned), the School Board began implementing and the intra-district desegregation plan, featuring fifteen court mandated alterations between the years 1972-1979. In March 1984, the School Board sought monetary damages from the State, charging them with not fulfilling their court-ordered eradication of segregation. The State, the School Board alleged was hindering the elimination of the State’s former dual educational system. The court denied the request initially and again in an appeal.
Call number Civil Action Case #3353
Date from 1961
Date to 1987
Geographic school Richmond, VA
Size 8 Boxes
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education

o    United States. Supreme Court

o    Virginia. Department of Education

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)
Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents
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USDC, Western District of Virginia, Roanoke, Civil Action Case # 341: P. C. Corbin vs. the County School Board of Pulaski County, Virginia

USDC, Western District of Virginia, Roanoke, Civil Action Case # 341: P. C. Corbin vs. the County School Board of Pulaski County, Virginia 

Creator USDC, Western District of Virginia, Roanoke
Description In 1947, African American attorneys Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson represented a legal suit initiated by Dr. P. C. Corbin on behalf of his son, Mahatma Corbin. This case became part of a movement of local class-action lawsuits orchestrated by Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund to equalize the public education of blacks. Mahatma Corbin v. County School Board of Pulaski County was one of the last equalization cases the NAACP Legal Defense undertook before pursuing the Virginia desegregation case, Davis v. County School Board Prince Edward County. Dr. Corbin filed this lawsuit in Virginia federal court with the intent to achieve an improved education environment for his son. The bus ride to Christiansburg was very long and cold. The school was poorly heated and also too cold. A young girl had died of tuberculosis in 1941 partly due to the conditions, according to briefs filed. The Christiansburg School was also below standard and did not provide adequate preparation for college. As evidence, the legal team presented extensive photographs of school conditions. Spottswood and Hill lost the first round in the Virginia federal court. Six months later, in November 1949, Baltimore’s U.S. Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals came down on Corbin’s side: The courts, the judge pronounced, have a “solemn duty” to strike down “forbidden racial discrimination.” A school board spokesman said officials were “shocked” by the decision, insisting that “no discrimination against Negroes existed.” A week later the board met to discuss a possible Supreme Court appeal. At that meeting, the board refused to provide high school facilities for blacks in Pulaski. The case proceeded no further. Shortly thereafter, the NAACP rolled out a new strategy attacking segregation head-on in the Supreme Court. Local battles for equalization were abandoned.
Call number Civil Action Case # 341
Date from 1947
Date to 1949
Geographic school Pulaski County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    African Americans–Segregation

o    High school students

o    Public schools

o    Segregation in education

o    Segregation in higher education

o    United States. Supreme Court

o    Hill, Oliver W., 1907-2007

o    Robinson, Spottswood W., 1916-1998

o    Marshall, Thurgood, 1908-1993

o    National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

o    Public schools–Virginia–Pulaski County

o    United States. Court of Appeals (4th Circuit)
Types Legal documents
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USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4264- Velda Brown, et al vs. the County School Board of Gloucester County, Virginia, et al 

USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division, Civil Action Case #4264- Velda Brown, et al vs. the County School Board of Gloucester County, Virginia, et al 

Creator USDC, Eastern District of Virginia, Richmond Division
Description In March 1965, a class action suit was filed on behalf of all black students in Gloucester County for the County’s segregated educational system. By July of that same year, the School Board had submitted to the Court a concrete plan for school desegregation, which had already been passed by their body. It was agreed upon in a 1968 supplemental plan that all 7th-9th grade students would attend a single school regardless of race or residence, 10th-12th graders attend a second school regardless of race or residence, and 1st-6th graders, regardless of race, but depending on the designated zone that they reside in, placed in particular schools; these zones had previously been agreed upon based off of a Virginia Department of Highways map dated January 1, 1965 (marked exhibit A).
Call number Civil Action Case #4264
Date from 1965
Date to 1984
Geographic school Gloucester County, VA
Size unknown
Access restrictions yes/no
Access restrictions
Part Of larger collection yes/no
Larger collection title
URL
Repository NARA Mid-Atlantic Region
Repository address 14700 Townsend Road, Philadelphia, PA 19154-1096
Repository contact name David Weber
Repository contact title Director, Records Management Program
Repository contact email philadelphia.reference@nara.gov
Repository contact phone (215) 305-2000
DoveRegion (outside of Virginia)
Subjects o    African American students

o    African Americans–Civil rights

o    Public schools

o    School children

o    School integration

o    Segregation in education
Types o    Correspondence

o    Legal documents

o    Pamphlets