My dad grew up in the tiny GA town of Commerce during the 60's, when the public school system began to desegregate. He remembers one day in 6th grade, all white students, including himself, were required to attend a presentation at school the day before class officially started. He recalls the school’s principal announcing to all white students that black students would soon be attending classes with the white students the following day. The principal told the students before the conclusion of the presentation:
“One day, General George Washington was reviewing his troops one night when he passed a black cook, who tipped his hat and saluted the president. The president then saluted and tipped his hat back to the cook. Later, one of the president’s officers asked him why he had shown the cook such great respect. The president replied: ‘Because, I would never be less polite than a n----r.’”
This quote from a school principal spoken to a group of students is a reflection of the collective disdain from the white community about the desegregation of public schools, even eleven years after the Brown v. Board of Education court ruling. Ironically enough, due to the influx of black students attending the Commerce public school system, the word “n----r” was henceforth banned from being spoken by students or teachers at the school.
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