DOCUMENT RESUME ED 117 275 95 UD 015 679 AUTHOR Bynum; Effie; And Others TITLE Desegregation in Birmingham, Alabama: A Case Study. _INSTITUTION Columbia Univ., New York, N.Y. 7eaChers College. SPONS AGENCY National Inst. of Education (DHEW), Washington, D.C. PUB DATE 74 NE-G-00-3-0156 NOTE 188p. EDRS 'PRICE MF-$0.76 HC-$9.51 PluS Postage kip "DESCRIPTORS Administrator Attitudes; *Case Studies; Community Attitudes; *Field Interviews; Integration Effects; *Integration Studies; Observation; Parent Attitudes; Radial Integration; Research Methodology; *School Integration; School Visitation; Student Attitudes; Teacher Attitudes .IDENTIFIERS *Alabama (Birminghai) ABSTRACT In May, 1974, a five member study team from Teachers College,' Columbia University spent four and one-half days in Birmirigham, Alabama, for the purpose of (1) collecting information that describes the desegregation process as it evolved,. (2) interviewing principals, administrators, teachers, students and community leaders relative to their impressions of the desegregation move and its impact, and(3) observing random classrooms, hallways, cafetettias, and playgrounds of 12 selected schools. Birmingham City . School District was selected to participate in this study because it was identifie from a collection of resource data as a district that developed and/mplemented a conflict;free (the current plan) and -effective plan. The/major, purpose of the overall project was to -identify districts that have been effective and successful in their attempts at desegregation and to describe the processVhat led to their effedtiveness and/or success. The Birmingham sam included schools (1) with an almost equal distribution of black and white students,(2) those having both a 60 percent black and white population,,(3) those having almost an 80 percent black and white enrollment, and,(4) those that had all black students and several having an almost all white student body. A total of 12 schools were sampled from the, more than 90 that serve the youngpeople,of Birmingham.. (Author/JM) **********************************************************44*********** Documents acqU4.red by ERIC include many informal unpublished * materials not available from other sources. ERIC makes every effort * * to obtain the be'St comavailable. NeverthelesS, items of marginal * * reproducibility are often encountered and this affects the quality * * of the microfiche and trardcopy reproductions ERIC makes available * * via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDRS). EDRS is not * responsible for the quality cif the original document. Reproductions * * supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made,from the original. ***********************************t*********************************** t ) /5eIf DESEGREGATION IN BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA r A CASE STUDY Data Collected by Desegregation Study Team Including: Effie Bynum Robert Young Brian Estrada Ea Hattauer and -Robert Phillips N. Project Coordinator Ed412I0 W. Gordon, Ed.D: Pria7pal Investigator IP , 4, Teachers College, Columbia University "New York, New York 1974 Thik report was prepared under contract NE-G-0Q-3-0156,h6tween the National Institute of Education (MEW) and 'Teachers College, Columbia University,. POdints of view or opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent Official views or opinions of the National fnstituteio U S DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH EDUCATION A. WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION r$11,, Dorun.rE NT HAS BEEN REPRO ExA( To, 46 RECEIvE0 CROM THE PERSONOROkANIZATIONORIGIN AT,NC, IT POINTS 0E VIEW OR OPINIONS STATED00NOT NECESSARILY REPRE ',TNT Of F IC IA1 NATIONNAk INSTITUTE OF E DUCA T ION PASMON 00\ POL. CY. 2 PREFACE A . In May, 1974, a five memher study team from Teachers College, Columbia University spent four and one-half days in BiringhAm, Alabama for the pur:- poses of (1) collecting information thatdescribestthe desegregation process as it evolved, (2) intervieng principals, administrators,teachers, stu- dents and community leadereielative to their impressions of the desegreg- ation move and'its impact, and observing random classrooms, hallways, caf- eterias and ,playgroUnds at twelve selected schools:. Given our time constraints and budgetary limitations we systematically chose twelve dchools from the more than ninety that serve the young people of Birmingham. Our sample included schools (1) with an almost equal dis- tribution of Black and White students,(2) those having both a sixty per- cent Black and White population, ,(3) those having almost an eighty per- cent Black and White enrollment, and,(4) those that had all Black students and several having an almost all White student body.Thus, our sample allowed us to viewa microcosm of-the girmingham school system. We'extend our gratitude to all school personnel, stuOents and commun- ity people who graciously gave us a part of their time. Special thanks are ,,---.s.xten41to Superintendent Cody who gave us permission to come to Birming- ham, to Dr. Matherson who coordinated our work and paved the way for our kind of reception, and to Dr. Goodson who spent the four and one-half days with us providing transportation, introducing us land keeping us on a rigicL 'schedule. 10' CHAPTER I BACKGROUND 1 Description of To and Demographic-Date In the 1840's iron ore, coal and limestone were found in a midlands region of Alabama called Jones Valley. By 1860 planshad been made to intersect a railway connection in this valley between Chatt4nooga ii, the North and Montgomery in the South in order, to exploit these vast mineral deposits. The Civil War broke out and,delayed these railway ties until 1870. A year later the area surrounding this junction waieurchased by a private corporation, the Elyton Land Company.Plpts were lstablished and put up, for auct,ion. Apitional spaces werereserved for churches,parks and streets. The Lana Company also decreed that the cityto be built would be called Birmingham in honor of "the best workshop in all of England." .. ... In December, 1871, the city received its charter and was inhabited by approximately 1,000 people. Ruring the succeeding 100 years its popula- tion has grown to more than 300,000 and has'corre to be recognized as a major industrial and medical center of.the South. When one thinks historically of Birminghani thoughts of slavery, in- humane actions against Blacks, police dogs, fire hoses, -civil rights marches, and the bombing of a church in 1W12 where four little Black girls were killed are evoked. It is the city that the,late R v Dr. Martin King, Jr. called "the most segregated city in America." These events happened, and are truths of Birmingham:s past. One can easily advance the opinion that the treatment of Black citi- zens up through the mid-nineteen sixties was directlyrelated to the senti- ments expressed by a majority of the community andthe political leadership. It is more difficult to speculate about the internal feelingsand attitudes of the general populace at present - it is conceivable that theseold atti- tudes persist with many - but a brief description of Birmingham's demography and political leadership over the past ten years suggests thatin relation, ,,to its past it no longer deserves thereputation it gained in the 1pte 1950's and early 1960's. 1The data included in this section are primarily taken from reprints of articles appearing ,in the.Narch.28, 19,72, edition of the tew York Times, the June 10, 1R72, edition-of the Birmingham Post, Birmingham, ' England and from an information packet compiled 1;y Dr. W.C. Matherson of the City School System. 2 The New York Times, Marc1128, 1972. '-1- 4 Perhaps th ing point in the minds of the people was prompted by 1962 church bo ing Eor by 1967 the first Republican mayor ever was elected. By 1971 two, Black men had been elected to the city council as well as a White female and two White male liberals. Since that time the governing body of the city hascbeen composed of a moderate- liberal major- ity. One of the first acts performed by this new body was to appoint the city's first Black judge., A Black and White group of leaderswas formed into-a community affairs committee. They are credited for eliminating the dual lines of progression for Blacks 'and Whites in the steel,industrye The.politicalleadership of Birmingham has done much to improve the living conditions in the city for its citizens and to'bring in revenue. This pi.nt is viewed as critical Since we have witnessed the decay and bankruptcy of many Major cities and a number of smaller ones over the past ten years. Quite often problems of White migration to the suburbs and the transition of cities into an ethnic minority and a poor economic population has been hailed as a major factor contributing to this decay, which has consistently been linked to forced integration. fn spite of being subjected to similar conditions, Birmingham has achievedpa higher level of economy and prestige subsequent to desegregation. This progress is viewed as re-, markable when one conside the violent stance taken by the community in. the late 1950's and early 960's. .During the late 50's and early 60'sBirmingham was in an economic de- pression due to progressing automation in the steel industry. By contrast, since,tft late 1960's, the city "has completed'twenty sanitary sewer projects, filled thiry-three open ditches and storm sewers., built three railroad over- passes, installed 8,800 new street lights, torn down 2,173 abandoned dwellings, opened nineteen new recreational facilities,...invested $556,000 in'youth activities,...has helped fund the new Metropolitan Development Board, and has begun a rehabilitation program for jailed prisioners:"3 Most of this work was achieved because the voters.pasged a 50 million dollar bond ,issue for public improvements in 1968, the largest in the city's history.' By 1972 building permits had increased from $52 million in 1968 to $110 million due to outside companies deciding to move or open branches here. Also in 1972, twenty:-three industrial.plantsIWere closed'because they had contributed to an especially foul period of air pollution.