OAK RIDGE, Tenn. ( WATE ) — The story of the Black students who desegregated two schools in Oak Ridge , marking first school desegregation in the Southeast, will be added to Tennessee academic curriculum after it was approved by the state education board on Friday.
Known as the Scarboro 85, desegregation at Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High School began in 1955 with 85 Black students from the Scarboro neighborhood. This marked the first desegregation of a public school system in the American Southeast.
Historic African American school successfully moved to Franklin
Oak Ridge City Historian Ray Smith said that while the historic move garnered national attention at the time, it has been overshadowed historically by the Clinton 12 and the Little Rock 9, which happened in 1956 and 1957, respectively.
Community efforts to bring attention to the watershed moment and have added it to school curriculums across the state have been ongoing for years.
“There was no doubt that everyone agreed that the Scarboro 85 should be included,” Smith said. “I think its important for school kids to understand what the significance of what these 85 did in 1955 and I think its time we recognized them as best we can.”