MACON, Ga. — In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court established racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional. Still, two alums from the graduating Northeast High School Class of 1971 told 13WMAZ, Georgia didn't follow the rule until decades later.
Beverly Glover and Sarah Lee were classmates at Lasseter High School. Both agree their experience as Black students moving to an all-white school was difficult.
"It was traumatic but I would tell you it could have been a lot worse," Lee said.
Lee and Glover were one of the first African American students to attend the school when it was integrated before the county changed its name to Northeast High School. Black female students attended Lasseter and Black male students went to Mark Smith High School. Glover says she remembers white students using the N-word towards her and other Black students used it against her, but that didn't stop her from going to school.
"We were determined to get our education, we were determined to be a part of that environment, positively. We survived. We made it," Glover said.
'We were determined to get our education'
On Saturday, the students of the '74 class are getting together for their school reunion. Lee told 13WMAZ, the students would make spitballs and spit them at her. She remembers riding the school bus to school and the bus driver would go through the neighborhood and pick up all the white students first, then pick up the Black students last. She said the school district did not do well at integrating any schools during that time.
"Georgia was part of a mass resistance. They refused to integrate," Lee said.
Lee told 13WMAZ it wasn't until decades after she graduated when parents in the district came up with the Freedom of Choice Act. It was designed to allow students to choose any school in the district they wanted to go to. White parents hoped Black students would choose the schools with more Black students.