Negro Students Locked Out of Public Schools for Five Years September 1959-September 1964

Negro students, as they were called in the era of interest, were locked out of the Prince Edward County, Virginia, public schools from September 1959 - September 1964. A private school system for the sons and daughters of the oppressor opened in September 1959. This premiere publication is the largest collection of accounts from individuals in the community of the oppressed that were locked out of the Prince Edward County public schools during the education crisis. The stories in this rare valued collection shared primarily by the oppressed only provide a mere glimpse of community and home life during those challenging, regrettable, and horrific years. Very captivating in this volume are the stories of individuals that were locked out of the Prince Edward County public schools and who in adult life devoted themselves to the teaching profession. Most of the school teachers in this volume taught in schools in Virginia. A small number taught in other States. The most intriguing element among the teachers is comprised of individuals that were locked out of the Prince Edward County public schools, but enjoyed a rewarding career as teachers in the same public school system that denied them an education for five consecutive years. There are in this publication the painful and agonizing reflections of persons who shared about never coming close to achieving their childhood dreams and ambitions, which required an education. Many students because of the interruption of their education during the critical foundational formative learning years were unable to sufficiently recover and master the proficiency required to progress and develop intellectually at a rate that permitted them to pursue lofty goals in life.