Friona Schools led the state in Integration
Junior High School Building in 1955
On May 17, 1954 in the U.S. Supreme Court decision “Brown vs. the Board of Education” (of Topeka, Kansas), American civil rights reached a milestone in education. The ‘separate, but equal’ policy established and upheld in Plessy vs Ferguson, 1896, was ruled unconstitutional because it did not provide equal education under the law. The Civil War had ended in 1865, but the struggles had not. In the beginning one of our founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, a slaveholder himself, had written that ‘all men are created equal’ and later that all citizens had certain rights; trouble was that slaves were not citizens; but evidently they could not get the group to agree on every point. What a difference a word makes.
At the end of the Civil War in 1865 the 13th Amendment was passed abolishing slavery. By 1868, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship and equal civil rights to former slaves. In 1870 the 15th Amendment barred racial discrimination in voting and stated that states could not impose their own voting requirements upon their citizens. A poll tax, construed by many to be discriminatory, continued in Texas until the late 1960s.
When looking back on these incidents, it is sometimes easy to forget the people involved. Linda Brown was a 6 year old student who was to start school in Topeka. Her father, Oliver Brown, went to their neighborhood school to enroll her. The school refused and told them that she would have to attend Monroe, the Negro school, under the ‘separate but equal’ law. That school was many blocks away from their home and across a railroad track. Brown was just one of five plaintiffs in the Brown vs. Board case. It is much easier to stand up and fight for one’s children than it is to fight for oneself; the injustice then becomes unbearable.
In the fall of 1954 in Friona, Texas our school was given the opportunity for leadership. A local black family, the Walkers, had moved to Friona and three of their children were of school age. The family’s employers, Johnny & Elthie Hand, approached our Superintendent, Dalton Caffey, to enroll them. All were enrolled in school and although the family was not here all of that year, they were in the Christmas music program in December 1954 [Chieftain Yearbook, 1955]. Our school administration and our community stepped up and had the courage to do what was right in this situation. Only later did they learn that they were the first in the state of Texas to do so. Although not completely without incident, as the Caffeys did receive some threatening phone calls, the action was accepted. It was also done voluntarily and not by force.
When our local students first learned of this fact from the Centennial Articles on Friona Schools which covered the history of the school since 1908, they immediately were impressed and realized the historical significance of this action taken so long ago . They wanted to honor their school and their community in a special way. Their plans include applying for an historical marker to permanently mark the site of the first school in the state to integrate. The building no longer stands, having been torn down in 1965 to make way for new construction. Led by FHS Senior Pedro Ramos, the effort celebrates their overall service learning theme of unity. Just last week at a meeting of state administrators, our local students approached their local legislators about this project underway and received pledges of their support. Pedro, a permanent resident, though not yet a citizen, understands firsthand the value of equal education under the law and the opportunity it provides.
Over the weekend FHS graduate Felicia LaFuente from News Channel 10 in Amarillo covered the effort as part of Black History month. Felicia did a very nice story which aired twice on Sunday evening and once on Monday morning. Dollie Lookingbill and Pedro Ramos, along with their instructor Patsy Allen, were interviewed at the Friona Public Library. Wendy Carthel, curator of the Parmer County Historical Museum, was also present for the interview. It has been my honor to assist them in their efforts of research and documentation. Many of our local residents will remember this time. If you have something: memories, photos, comments—please do share them with this group.
A story by the Dallas Morning News in May of 1955 covered the original story and followed up on it on the 50th Anniversary of Brown vs the Board of Education in May 18, 2004 by speaking to individuals involved, including the students. It was also entered into the Texas State Senate official record as a result of that news story in May 2004. The time is right to honor this action locally and for the effort to be student-led speaks volumes for it also.
Dalton Caffey, Superintendent
Grade School Christmas Concert in 1954