Marching Mothers

More Photos of the Marching Mothers and their Children

African American Parents Walking With Their Children to Segregated School

Four mothers accompany sixteen school children to the Webster elementary School here in an attempt to demand that the youngsters be admitted, April 3rd. The children said they would “Stick around awhile” when told they could not enroll that day. Principal Harold Henry, in whose outer office the delegation sat, told the group they would not be admitted as pupils in this Southern Ohio community until the school board decided what to do about a U. S. Supreme Court decision April 2nd ending segregation there.

African American Parents attempting to Enroll Their Children in School

Four mothers accompanied by a group of children to Webster Elementary School, April 3rd, to hear Harold Henry, (L), Principal, once more deny the children permission to attend the all white school. On April 2nd, the Supreme Court, by refusing to intervene, in effect, directed the local school board to carry out a lower court’s order to proceed with racial integration in the elementary school. School officials turned away the children again, saying they were awaiting official notification of the court’s decision. Hillsboro’s Junior and High Schools were integrated. There were 70 Black pupils and 850 white students in Hillsboro, whereas the Black children had been refusing to attend the all-Black Lincoln school, built in 1864. Mothers here are left to right: Mrs. Sally Williams; Mrs. Seleicka, (CQ) Dent; Joan Zimmerman; and Mrs, Gertrude Clemons.