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Sydney Green
James Ford
English 1301

The Acculturation of African American Education

History ...is often manifested within forgotten stories. Ever changing, morphing into unrecognizable relics
few can recall. With every second history becomes even more obscured, and we venture farther and farther
away from our roots. Within the school system there is the suppression of the authenticity of information
given, specifically those in relation to the African American heritage. In order to combat the
homogeneousness of school board systems agreements were set in place to attempt to provide impartiality.
Special classes, diverse instructors, and schools were created in order to provide an equal opportunity for all.
Historically colored schools such as F.W. Gross High School (Victoria Independent School District)
(Victoria Colored School) and Fidelity Manor High School (Glena Park Independent School District)
served as remarkable examples of contest against the loss of cultural history. With the reestablishment of
ethnic inclusiveness (specific diversity) in schools it allowed for students to absorb history normally
excluded from typical education. Even though desegregation provided an equal opportunity for education it
came at the cost of the loss of our cultural richness, heritage and individuality.

After the Brown v. Board of Education ruling in favor of integrating schools, it was made that
educational establishments could not continue to maintain separate facilities and communities could not
only be white or black. Self-sufficient black societies which included lawyers, doctors, instructors, vendors

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and merchants could no longer continue to biasedly support African American families. Colored segregated
schools went through mass staff change often losing invaluable, dedicated, and overqualified black
instructors. The uplifting of the community generated by the Colored schools slowly gave way to a
superficial education system with severed ties to our roots. Fidelity Manor High School was the only
African American high school to exist in the Independent School District of Glena Park, Texas. Fidelity was
originally a 1-room schoolhouse with only 5 teachers that was later instituted as Clinton Colored School up
until 1955. Though the school was small it didn't seem to bother the students much throughout the course of
Fidelitys opening. By 1947, the African-American population had grown to the point where more teachers
were employed to meet the educational needs of the black-student population. Fidelity Manor went
through many developments from expansions like the integration of a gymnasium, to the addition of
higher grade levels ( the addition of 9th-12th grade) beginning in 1955. Before the addition of the high
school levels all colored students pursuing a higher education had to go to Wheatley. Fidelity Manor High
School was under the leadership of Arthur C. Lilly. He remained its principal until it closed its doors in 1970
and the schools were integrated. Up until that time Fidelity Manor High served as the rite of passage into
higher education, and also to a pure form of the African American culture. Ironically with segregation in
place Colored schools kept African American traditions ingrained into their education systems. Notable
schools such as Freedom Schools and Black Panther Party Schools allowed a different mindset to prosper
within the minds of young students. Yet with the loss of segregation the heritage of African American
students as well as their communities would soon suffer.

Heritage and the sense of cultural awareness dulled dramatically as schools became integrated.
African American achievements no longer was an encouragement to colored students but instead the
acceptance of their white (Caucasian) peers. With the disconnect from the communal values imbued into

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colored children by their once homelike schools they became less and less preoccupied with furthering
themselves as adamantly as they used to. Schools that held strong to their segregation but kept their afro
centricity like Fidelity Manor prided themselves on being the scarce centers left of black empowerment.
Even their school colors and mascot related back to its heritage. The colors (purple and gold) along with the
mascot a black panther were linked with ties to Prairie View A&M University. Not yet indoctrinated by
documents arranged to disorient the best of scholars, Colored schools managed to keep ahold of what little
history there was left before the court ordered the desertion of the only African-American high school in
Glena Park Independent School District. Even though Fidelity functioned as normal before the closing
many cases were called against the school and district claiming that it was still following the dual school
system (segregated) prior to 1954.
The district is perpetuating the dual system by permitting student teachers to be assigned as they were prior
to 1954 in that no white student teacher has ever been trained at a Negro school and no Negro student
teacher has ever been trained at a predominately white school. (Telling the Story)
Fidelitys resilience was spread across the state where other colored schools excelled in spite of the
desegregation laws. Dunbar High in Lubbock, Texas used segregation as a means of competition or just to
have fun, it also served as the center of an African American community.
It was a great community, said Quincy White, of East Lubbock back then. You had everything you
needed strong support system at Dunbar, which fed over to the Boys Club, which fed over to Boy
Scouts. There were strong black men all over the community and they would keep you in line.
(Dunbar High's 1965 state champs lived through segregation with pride, unity)

What made the African American communities unparalleled was their ability to create societies in
where they successfully ran cities with the use of schools and churches. Interdependence of the school

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systems to provide the lust for education (Black History and Black Significance) while the surrounding
communities gave support to the schools by encouraging the children to pursue an education. After a
prolonged period of time surrounded by others who would lift them up with desegregation the AfricanAmerican culture began to lose even more of their identity.
Ironically, one of the unintended side effects of racial integration in the second half of the twentieth century
was the erosion of longstanding black business and educational institutions that served African-Americans
during Jim Crow. Integration weakened some black community institutions. (Freedoms Story)
With the plunge of businesses the difficulty to be self-sufficient which increased
dependence on the whites. Now that our once self-running cities regress, the pride that came
along with the accomplishments slowly reverted back to fear. The closing of school such as
Fidelity Manor High School, Dunbar High, and F.W. Gross High School notably weakened the
sense of individuality and uniqueness of the Negro community.
Nevertheless, in most communities forced to try desegregation, the sacrifices werent
worth the benefits. Parents of all races complained about the hassle of busing and the loss of
neighborhood schools, but for black families the burdens were often heavier: Their children
tended to spend more time commuting, their own schools were closed to make desegregation
more convenient for whites (and prevent their flight to the suburbs or private schools), and their
teachers were fired when white and black schools were merged. (The Failures of Integration)

Theoretically the desegregation and the integration of schools was to be a stepping stone
for the betterment of African-American communities, but with the demolition of schools of color
it became increasingly difficult to do so. Without someplace to look to for the native customs of
Negroes it was essentially erased. Havens such as Fidelity High school that served as a beacon of

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black excellence are still commemorated for their resilience against the absolution of our rich
culture, our African heritage, and our incredible individuality.

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Works Cited
"5 Special Things Black People Lost When Schools Were Integrated After Brown v.
Board of Education Decision - Atlanta Black Star." Atlanta Black Star. 25 Nov.
2014. Web. 10 May 2016.
"About." The Harvard Educational Review. Web. 10 May 2016.
"Dunbar High's 1965 State Champs Lived through Segregation with Pride, Unity."
Lubbock Online. Web. 10 May 2016.
"The Failures Of Integration." The American Conservative. Web. 10 May 2016.
"Fidelity Manor High School." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation. Web. 10 May 2016.
"Fidelity Schools Receive Historical Marker." Your Houston News. Web. 10 May 2016.
"Nostalgia For What's Been Lost Since 'Brown V. Board'" NPR. NPR. Web. 10 May
2016.
"Segregation, Freedom's Story, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center."
Segregation, Freedom's Story, TeacherServe, National Humanities Center. Web.
10 May 2016.

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