Lesson from Little Rock

Essay by Reverend Colbert C. Cartwright condemning the Little Rock School Board for not better preparing for integration."from Little Rock" page 2 ured the cooperation of radio stations and disseminated literature relations. As the whole Louisville community became involved in talking about race relations, the problem was seen not only from the legal om the moral, social, and psychological points of view. It is significant that the hindsight of the people of Clinton to the wisdom of the Louisville approach. Looking backward, Mayor Lewallen said: "We thought we had done enough when we set up a committee and talked the situation over with some of the civic and leaders. We were wrong." He observed that events have scuttled southern maxim that the less said about race relations the better. Consultation on the Proposal In relationship to the community, the Little Rock School Board has intently taken an autocratic approach. Carefully avoiding consulta- tion with either Negro or white patrons, the board on May 24, 1955, an- d to the public a plan for gradual integration under which high-school- grades qould be desegregated probably in September 1957. If all all, integration would follow in the other grades over a period of approximately 6 years. Since no one had been consulted, many persons oned the plan. Many Negroes wanted a faster plan; many white per- anted no plan at all. Interested citizens, both Negro and white, o Dr. Blossom with questions. When any point of the plan was ques- tioned, there was only one reaction - a defensive bristling. Five months after the plan was announced the Arkansas Council on Relations convened a meeting at Little Rock at which Dr. Blossom expalined his plan, Irene Osborne who had been working in Washington, D.C. shal community support for the school desegregation program there, on hthe importance of community relations in making the transition. Blossom exhibited open hostility toward the approach she suggested. ers' Help Not Sought In December 1955, the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance of r Little Rock, composed of Negro ministers, asked the school board joint on advisory committee, which would include Negroes, to work direction of racial integration in the schools. The board not declined, but refused to suggest any alternate way in which the Little Rock community might help in paving the way to a smoother trans- At about the same time, Dr. Blossom presented the plan of gradual integration to the Greater Little Rock Ministeral Alliance, composed te ministers. The plan was received with general enthusiasm. But the alliance suggested that it endorse the plan pffocoa;;y and pub- Dr. Blossom urged it not to do so. To the present time he has sought the help of ministers of either race in preparing the commun- r the board's plan of integration. During the 1955-56 school year professional educators in Little Rock became concernced because no preparation was being given high-school rs for the new problems they would face when integration came. suggested to Dr. Blossom that informal meetings or teachers be ar- to discuss such problems. He did not think well of the sugges- and at no time has he sought to help teachers face their own pre- s or to provide with guidance in dealing with problems of group os. At a luncheon meeting on October 12, 1956, Robert Snyder, for 3 chairman of the St. Louis Council on Human Relations, explained to er of Little Rock civic leaders the way in which 85 organizations city worked to help the schools meet the problem of school de- ation. Dr. Blossom was present, but indicated no interest in gain- ch support from Little Rock agencies. On March 11, 1957, he ex- explained the school board's plan to the community council, a group made up representatives from all metropolital area organizations and agencies ned for civil betterment. Although he did not emphasized the need preparing the community for school integration, he did state for the time publicly that he would call on the various groups tp help the community. He did not stay when. To date their help has no