The Reason Briggs v. Elliott The Reason In the 1940s, things were very different in South Carolina.

Briggs v. Elliott

The ReasonThe Reason

In the 1940s,things were very

differentin

South Carolina.

WHITE children went toA FEW

CONSOLIDATED SCHOOLS.

BLACK children went to

MANY SMALLLOCAL SCHOOLS.

Schools like Halley Town served black children.

A “Colored” school used until 1941

Spring Hill School for “Coloreds”

had two rooms.

It was maintained by Spring Hill

Church and the Masonic Lodge.

Rosenwald School for “Colored” Children

Liberty Hill School for “Colored”

Children

Silver School for “Colored” Children

Paxville School for “Colored” Children

Scott’s Branch School for “Colored” Children

Summerton Consolidated High Schoolfor White Children

Many rural children lived a long distance

from their schools

White rural children traveled to their

consolidated schools by bus.

Early 1930s bus for white

children

In 1945,there wasNO BUS

for “Colored” Children

For some black children,the nearest school

with their grade was10 miles away!

Mr. Levi Pearson was

unhappy that there was

NO BUS to take his children to

school

Rev. J.A. De Laine was an

A.M.E. pastor.

He was Mr. Pearson’s

friend.

In 1947, Mr. J.M. Hinton challenged:“No teacher or preacher in

South Carolina has the courage to get a plaintiff

to test the school bus transportation practices of

discrimination against Negro children.”

Rev. De Laine took the challenge

andMr. Pearson agreed to be

the Plaintiff.

Levi Pearson vs. Clarendon County and School District

No. 26became the First Legal Step toward

Briggs v. Elliott

A Lawsuit:

Even with poor facilities

and no buses,

black children still went to school and achieved.

7th Grade Graduates Liberty Hill School

Liberty Hill Graduates and Teacher

Scott’s Branch School 7th Grade Class 1940

Briggs v. Elliott started as a

simple quest for equal access to education

It grew to end in Better Educational

Opportunities for

all American children

Briggs v. Elliott

The HeroesThe Heroes

PLAINTIFFSPLAINTIFFS inin

Briggs v. ElliottBriggs v. Elliott

HARRY BRIGGS

Briggs v. Elliott Briggs v. Elliott PlaintiffPlaintiff

ANNIE GIBSON


MOSE OLIVER


BENNIE PARSON


EDWARD RAGIN


WILLIAM RAGIN


LUCRISHER RICHARDSON


LEE RICHARDSON


JAMES BENNETT


MARY OLIVER


WILLIAM STUKES


G. H. HENRY


ROBERT GEORGIA


REBECCA RICHBURG


GABRIEL TINDAL


SUSAN LAWSON


FREDERICK OLIVER


ONETHA BENNETT


HAZEL RAGIN


HENRY SCOTT


We Salute

20 HEROES20 HEROES

Briggs v. Elliott Briggs v. Elliott PlaintiffsPlaintiffs

We also SaluteOther Martyrs

in Clarendon County’squest for equality

Mr. James McKnight, who was not a plaintiff,

was murdered by racists

in front of his family

Mr. “Bo” Stukes, a plaintiff, died while trying to continue working as an auto

repair mechanic after being fired.

A poorly secured car fell on him while he was working.

Altered records denied

Mr. Reverdy Wells, Scott’s Branch

1949 class valedictorian,

the opportunity of higher education

Before it was over, Rev. De Laine was

sued, shot at, homeless and listed as a fugitive from

South Carolina justice.

Mrs. Mattie De Laine, helpmate ofRev. J.A. De Laine.

Her house burned while firemen

watched.

Judge J. Waites Waringbecame a social

outcast.

Judge Waringwould NOT hear

a lawsuit for “Separate But

Equal”

Judge Waring,in a dissenting District Court opinion, said

BLACK SCHOOLS WERE NOT

EQUAL

They say you already have “Separate But Equal”

schools.BUT

there is no such thing as “Separate But Equal”

Briggs v. Elliott

Through Through The CourtsThe Courts

First came the Pearson bus transportation

lawsuit

Then came the first Briggs v. Elliott, suing

for “Separate But Equal”

In 1951, there was the final Briggs v. Elliott,

suing for “desegregation”

However, the judges did rule that school facilities must be

made MORE EQUAL

for black children

Waring’s Dissenting Opinion

in a Nutshell:

You guys ought to be ashamed to call such

rot justice from a United States Court. “I want no part of it.”

The dissenting

Judge Waring

South Carolina approved a

$75,000,000 bond to support

equalization of schools.

At last, school buses were provided for black children

A new building (top) equalized Scott’s Branch School and Summerton High (bottom)

Scott’s Branch

Summerton High

Briggs v. Elliott was appealed to the

Supreme Court

On January 28, 1952, Briggs v. Elliott

was returned to the District Court

for a report on equalization progress

By the time Briggs v. Elliott got back to the Supreme Court

Brown v. Board of Educationwas there

Briggs v. Elliott and three other cases

were argued along withBrown v. Board of

Education

On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court ruled

In the field of public education, the doctrine of

“separate but equal” has no place.”

In response to pleas about the time needed to integrate schools,

on May 31, 1955, the Court ruled

Admission to public schools on a non-discriminatory basis

must take place “with all deliberate speed.”

Many civil rights battles were later fought, but the heroes of

Briggs v. Elliott had set the stage.America had promised to uphold

its guarantee of

LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.

The Reason Briggs v. Elliott The Reason In the 1940s, things were very different in South Carolina.

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