Black History

On September 4, 1957, 15-year-old Dorothy Counts was the black student enrolled at Harry Harding High School in Charlotte, North Carolina.  I was three years old at that time.

Much is made of the heroes of black history, the Malcolm X's and the Martin Luther Kings, and rightly so.  But what's often forgotten is the bravery and grace under pressure of the hundreds of others in the front line of the battle for equality, the sit-in protesters at lunch counters, the crowds of civil-rights marchers, the students entering segregated schools. Courageous people like the teenage Dorothy.

Dorothy was dropped off at Harding High on her first day of school, a Thursday, by her father. As she got out of the car to head down the hill, her father told her, "Hold your head high. You are inferior to no one."

There were roughly 200 to 300 people in the crowd, mostly students. The harassment started when the wife of an officer of the White Citizens Council urged the boys to "keep her out" and at the same time, implored the girls to "Spit on her, girls, spit on her." 

Accompanied by a family friend, Dorothy walked by without reacting, but later told the press that many people threw rocks at her—most of which landed in front of her feet—and that students formed walls but parted ways at the last instant to allow her to walk past. 

After entering the building, she went into the auditorium to sit with her class. She was met there with the same harassment that occurred outside the school building, constantly hearing racial slurs shouted to her. She said that no adults assisted or protected her during this time. 

After going to her homeroom to receive her books and schedule, she was ignored. After the school day ended, her parents asked if she wanted to continue going to Harding High, and Dorothy said that she wanted to go back because she hoped that after the students got to know her, things there would improve.

Dorothy fell ill the following day. With a fever and aching throat, she stayed home from school that Friday, but returned on Monday. There wasn't a crowd outside of the building, but students and faculty were shocked by her return and proceeded to harass her. While in class, she was placed at the back of the room and was ignored by her teacher. 

During lunch one day, a group of boys circled her and spat in her food. After that experience, Dorothy asked her parents to pick her up during her lunch period so that she could eat.

Eventually, she met another new student who was part of her homeroom class. The young girl talked to Dorothy about being new to Charlotte and the school. When she returned home, she told her parents that she felt better because she had made a friend and had someone to whom she could talk.  The next day, however, Dorothy saw the young girl in the hallway but the young girl just hung her head and proceeded to ignore her. 

A blackboard eraser was thrown at her one day and struck her on the back of her head. As she proceeded to go outside to meet her oldest brother for lunch, she saw a crowd surrounding the family car. The back windows were shattered. Dorothy said this was the first time she was afraid, because now her family was being attacked.

Dorothy told her family what had happened and her father called the superintendent and the police department.  The superintendent told the family he was not aware of what was happening at Harding High, and the police chief said they could not guarantee Dorothy's protection. After that conversation, her father decided to take her out of the school.

James Baldwin recalled seeing photos of Dorothy at Harding High and wrote, "It made me furious and filled me with both hatred and pity and it made me ashamed - One of us should have been there with her."

Dorothy is still alive at the age of 78.  She's younger than either Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders to give you some idea of how recent these activities were.