2 chapters across the catalog
A teacher from Farmville, Virginia, shares his experience with the onset of integration, admitting he had no desire to mingle with white people initially. He argues that if "separate but equal" had been a reality, the integration struggle would never have occurred. Mo Facts discusses the loss of community institutions, like his father's school, when integration forced the closure of Black facilities.
The Farmville teacher describes the extreme disparity between the Black Moton High School and the white Farmville High School, including the use of "tar paper shacks" as classrooms. He recounts how a Black principal refused to ask for new books to appear compliant to the white superintendent, forcing teachers to use shredded scraps. This "Boulet gatekeeping" is cited as a major internal obstacle to Black education.
