W.W. Law and Rev. Louis Scott Stell, in the top left, stand with a group of high school seniors from the Class of 1964. The students were among the first to integrate public schools in Savannah.
"Reflections on Education in Savannah"
(Excerpted from "School Integration Its First Year in Savannah")
The members of the Savannah Branch of the National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People have had the pleasure of observing, at
close hand, the change which has come over our young people, after
they entered
integrated
schools in our city. Because of their bravery,
courage and willingness to
undertake
this new sociological and
psychological experience, the members of the Savannah Branch have
developed a warm admiration and appreciation for these youth.
Without a doubt, these 90 Negro youth who are currently enrolled in
integrated schools and the 19 who were enrolled last year, along with
those who are enrolled in integrated
parochial
schools and the adults
at Savannah Vocational School are preparing themselves for the new
challenges of an integrated society.
...
The members of the Savannah Branch, NAACP, and I salute the courageous
children and their parents who helped to pave the way for integration
in our community. As we look to the future, we envision a democratic
community, we envision a community where the color of a man's skin will not
dictate
whether he will receive a superior education. As we join in
helping to create “the great society,” let us never forget W.H.
Auden's
words when he said, “unless an individual is free to obtain the fullest
education with which his society can provide him, he is being injured by
society.”
W.W. Law, September, 1964
Take a trip into archives of the Museum and read a selection from the writings of Savannah’s civil rights leader Westley Wallace Law. In this introduction to a 1964 pamphlet that records the history of school integration in Savannah, Law shares his vision for a future where education is equal for all.