Charlottesville considers Massive Resistance apology
Published: September 22, 2009
CHARLOTTESVILLE—The city government is considering apologizing for its former role in Massive Resistance, the failed attempt to keep Virginia public schools segregated after the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision.
Assistant City Manager Maurice Jones, who is also organizing the city’s dialogue on race that will kick off in December, wrote the resolution that praises the students who first integrated the city’s schools and describes the preceding school closures as “disgraceful.” City council members expressed an interest in August to acknowledge the 50th anniversary of Massive Resistance’s end.
Charlottesville was one of several Virginia school divisions that closed its all-white schools rather than integrate them.
Because Mayor Dave Norris could not attend Monday’s meeting, the body will vote on the resolution on Oct. 5.
The city’s schools were shut down for five months at the beginning of the 1958-59 school year and the division stayed segregated for the rest of the academic year. But a federal judge ordered 12 black students to be integrated into Lane High and Venable Elementary schools on Sept. 5, 1959.
Councilor David Brown said that through his own research, he found that the City Council at that time pushed to keep the city’s schools segregated.
“It did want to defend the status quo,” Brown said. “I think it’s very appropriate that an apology be issued.”
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Reader Reactions
Ignore previous post. Just looked up Assistant City Manager Maurice Jones. The picture says it all. He could care less about the problems in the city. All he cares about is “his” people. I am sure there is more to this story and he is looking for some sort of hand out for blacks because of how they are OHPRESSED. Jones, is just another race baiter looking to scream racism, this one happens to be several decades late. Guess he wants to be the Al Sharpen of Virginia.
I am glad that the city has nothing larger to worry about. How many people in the current government voted to keep segregation? Time to move on and worry about things that are hurting all of the people. what a waste of space these people are.
Just checked the SOL Report Card for Charlottesville schools. Seems that after 4 decades of integration black students still lag significantly behind white students in performance across the board. It can’t be because of inadequate facilities. They now go to the same schools. It can’t be because of 2nd rate textbooks. They all use the same. It can’t be because of 2nd rate teachers. Everyone teaches everyone. Wasn’t sitting black students down next to white students supposed to solve these problems? Apologies? Maybe, just maybe, those who have perpetuated policies that have destroyed two-parent black families and the social cohesion of the black community might want to. Who are they? Probably lots of ‘em are the ones piously grandstanding over meaningless, politically-correct apologies that serve no purpose other than to ingratiate them to the ignorant and the gullible. God knows who should be apologizing - and for what.
Wow, I can’t believe the inflammatory rhetoric being used here. Let’s consider a few questions.
Was racial segregation ever morally defensible?
Was administrative resistance to ending racial segregation ever morally defensible?
Is the current resolution anything more than recognizing that many people were harmed by defending an indefensible policy of racial segregation?
Do you even know what the definition of Socialist is?
Other than a few wealthy liberals, do you have any idea of the concentration of wealth in Charlottesville among Conservatives?
Do you think before you type?
why doesn’t the Peoples Democratic Republic of Charlottesville just apologize for every unpleasant thing that has happened there since the dawn of time. Then they won’t have to revisit any more stupid issues like this. Too bad such a beautiful place is run by such idiots.
Typical of the left wing socialists that have seized control of Charlottesville. The liberals with great personal wealth of their own extracted from shady deals that negatively impacted the average citizen now want to cram their beliefs down everyone’s throats.
Thomas Jefferson must be rolling over in his grave from what these socialists are doing to Charlottesville.
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