Unfair Processes
From the first day of school in the fall of 1968, Black students encountered a range of processes, from the selection of student government officers to the tryouts for sports teams, that they recall as biased in favor of the white students.
Sports
Source: Phyllis Crudup. August 2, 2023. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Phyllis Crudup, a teacher, recalls having to advocate for her students as they integrated the cheer team at the previously white-only James Blair.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Rev. Dr. Ronald Ellis experienced unfair processes during the tryouts for the baseball team.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Willis Potter reflects on how the inequities between the segregated schools created some of the problems upon integration. White students had benefited from opportunities and equipment that prepared them for sports tryouts that Black students had not.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
After being ranked third in the district and second at Berkeley High School the previous year, Cynthia Druitt recalls being heartbroken when she didn’t make the tennis team at James Blair High School. She remembers feeling that the tryouts were unfair.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Black girls looked forward to the broader sports opportunities for girls at the formerly all-white James Blair High School that hadn't been available at the all-Black high school. However, Mary Lassiter recalls her disappointment when she wasn’t able to participate in these opportunities. For example, only two Black students made the girls' basketball team that year.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Willis Potter remembers his teammate, Rueben Hill, and others who were sidelined although displaying strong talent. He felt it was the influence of white parents that constrained the coach from replacing white players with more talented Black players.
Clubs and Other Organizations
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Troy D. Roots remembers being unable to participate in many of the activities he was interested in.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Mary Lassiter explains that the yearbook staff elected its members at the end of the previous year, leaving no spots for the large influx of Black students that would join the student body under mandatory integration.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Rev. Dr. Ronald Ellis remembers how the Black students were savvy on the first day of school and successfully elected all-Black senior class officers, only to have the election overturned by the principal the following day.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Mary Lassiter recalls not being able to join clubs at school.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Troy D. Roots remembers the divisiveness over the dedication to the yearbook when white students insisted on honoring a teacher with whom few Black students had relationships rather than choosing a more unifying figure. As the Black students were a numerical minority, their votes would not influence the outcome.
Source: Class of 1969 Oral History. March 12, 2022. The Village Initiative Oral History Collection.
Cynthia Druitt recalls Black parents also facing difficulties having their voices heard when they brought issues to the school board.
Miss Varsity, Mary Lassiter
Source: The Beehive, James Blair High School Yearbook, 1968-69, William & Mary Special Collections Research Center
Mary Lassiter recalls the racially charged process of choosing Homecoming Queen vs. Miss Varsity:
"I was a candidate for homecoming queen along with Miss Taylor. I am not sure if there were other candidates or just the two of us. The football team voted on their choice. According to my late cousin, George Lee, there was a tie in the vote. He apologized for not being present during the voting process. He said Miss Taylor won because her boyfriend was captain of the team and advocated for her. He said she had brought the team water during their practices, therefore, she should get the title.
We had a long standing title of Miss Varsity at our segregated school in addition to Miss Homecoming. It was determined I would be Miss Varsity. The title meant very little to the Blair students, and it didn't mean much to me after I was told how it was determined. I felt the Black football players were not strong enough to stand up for me. I never discussed my feelings with anyone until I went to Blair in 2022 to talk about our experiences with integration with middle school students.
The night we were recognized at halftime was another let down. The crowd roared when my name was called but when Miss Taylor's name was called, there was a thunderous roar. I felt it was a competition between the Black and white crowd. It didn't matter that much I wasn't homecoming queen, but I felt the energy of the two races throughout the process.
My mother had mentioned the irony of me running against Miss Taylor. She was a judge's daughter and one whose father's name was not a pleasant subject in our household. I was the daughter of parents who had very humble beginnings, and we weren't even considered middle class as far as income was concerned. I should not have let the things beyond my control affect what should have been a wonderful experience. I was seventeen, and it was a very new experience being in a such a different arena that I wasn't used to."
Banner image: James Blair High School basketball team, 1968-69
Source: The Beehive, 1968-69, William & Mary Special Collections Research Center