We were among the first students of
Central High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in 1979. Because of court-ordered
desegregation, the majority-black Druid High and the majority-white Tuscaloosa
High were merged into Central. We read
"Segregation Now ... " with the greatest sadness and dismay. Only now
do we fully understand the extent of resegregation in Tuscaloosa schools.
When Central High opened in 1979, some
adults predicted that there would be conflict and even violence. We were teenagers,
but we understood the importance of what we were doing. We students would show
everyone that we could all get along. We remember the calm guidance of our teachers,
who kept doing what they did best, educating us and taking care of us. We
remember the feeling of togetherness, which we carry with us to this day. It is
a feeling that goes way beyond anything political. It is sad and outrageous
that more generations of students were not allowed to share this same feeling.
Michael Chwe, Wendy Dollar,
Lillian Fletcher Anderton,
Susan Gerald Fikes,
Chris Griffin, Jim Holcomb,
Dudley Jernigan, Margaret
Cone Moran, Alicia Hasson
Parr, Vicki Hite Rogers, Atonge
Thompson, Dewayne Tooson,
and William Whitten
Michael Chwe, Wendy Dollar,
Lillian Fletcher Anderton,
Susan Gerald Fikes,
Chris Griffin, Jim Holcomb,
Dudley Jernigan, Margaret
Cone Moran, Alicia Hasson
Parr, Vicki Hite Rogers, Atonge
Thompson, Dewayne Tooson,
and William Whitten
Former
Central High School students
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