on
on September six, 1955 through eighty five students in Oak4@ Ridge4@ were among the first in
the country to integrate.
But to4@ this day their stories
have remained largely untold.
Tonight on to news.
4@ We're sharing the secret in4@
Scarbro >> Hysterias history4@
and it was just unfortunate4@
that it had not been told as it
should have been told.
I think part of it part4@ was te
culture created in the secret
scene4@ in the 40s, in the 50s,
in the 60s just didn't talk4@
SCARBRO history is he was
driven first4@ in a 55 we were
not an official city4@ that we
were not incorporating until
1959.
4@So again we were operating
under control of the Atomic
Energy Commission.
There was a town4@ council that
was advisory in nature4@ but did
have did have political
influence. 4@
The atomic Energy Commission
might need the call.
They helped change the course4@
history.
Some families felt
uncomfortable.
Some of them were not ready.4@
They didn't know how they were
gonna be accepted.
First day of school.
The parents and the people in
the community as well as the
churches have banded together
with the students to let them
know they were there for now >>
you've4@ been cash into a search
way to what is right4@ and
seventeen hundred students that
do not want you there.
4@So Mama said4@ was for me to t
get expelled from school >> and@
there was some paper that I
picked up and that's4@4@ paper d
comments on it that some of the
students said made those
comments from the students how
they felt about integration4@ ad
some said4@ I wish it was all
right with them4@ that we sho4@d
have others and that was4@ one
comment that is that said4@ they
.
The principal who retired
school4@ Tom Dunnigan made it
very clear the first4@ day of
school that there would be no
problems, he would not tolerate
fights he would not follow
tolerate discrimination.
Some the teachers4@ that maybe4@
teach in that class rinnie did
not want me there.
I did not4@ involve myself in ay
activity4@ at school outside of
my4@ party.
I did not join in clubs any4@
thing after school4@ last last
money so a4@ student forget abot
what color4@ your classmates are
and you can pay4@4@ xts oh this
money so a4@ student forget abot what color4@ your classmates are and you can pay4@4@ xts oh thiss
low class so I want to be at
the4@ top of their class on ther
campaign.
That's what I did4@.
I thought I could do anything
anybody asked me4@ use a hidden
story.
We keep pushing and knocking4@
cause we asked the same
questions why does nobody
notice?
Why is this such mistakes were
made?
It should have been more4@ widey
talked about4@.
Forty years.
Fifty years they kind of
overlook our stories or just
brush it down the value but no
more4@ we we re here we was
always here we built to see so
we were trying to be creative4@
in ways to keep their legacy
alive.
They were very brave young
peop4@le remember4@4@ they were
anywhere from 12 to 18 years of
age.
We4@ want to get our rightful
place and tell the world about4@
the old grayish story w4@hich is
a beautiful story and that's4@ y
goal to just make sure we
preserve our history4@ not only
for ourselves here now but for
future generations4@ so they knw
what happened on these hollow