School Segregation in Western North Carolina: A History, 1860s-1970s (Contributions to Southern Appalachian Studies)
by Betty Jamerson Reed (Author)

"Betty Jamerson Reed, a historian for school integration in North Carolina, detailed these convoluted legal attempts by the North Carolina legislature and General Assembly to undermine black citizens' constitutional right to integrate schools for a first-class education.

"To delay the transfer of blacks to white schools, the General Assembly enacted the 1955 Pupil Assignment Act. By deliberately omitting any reference to race, and by specifying that local boards take into account the best interest of the child as well as the safety and health of school children, the plan provided a means to circumvent desegregation," Reed writes in her book School Segregation in Western North Carolina."

Note: The above quote is from an article about Joe Holt Jr. being the first Black student to attempt to integrate a school in Raleigh, NC.
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Summary of book
Although African Americans make up a small portion of the population of western North Carolina, they have contributed much to the area's physical and cultural landscape. This enlightening study surveys the region's segregated black schools from Reconstruction through integration and reveals the struggles, achievements, and ultimate victory of a unified community intent on achieving an adequate education for its children.

The book documents the events that initially brought blacks into Appalachia, early efforts to educate black children, the movement to acquire and improve schools, and the long process of desegregation. Personnel issues, curriculum, extracurricular activities, sports, consolidation, and construction also receive attention. Featuring commentary from former students, teachers and parents, this work weighs the value and achievement of rural segregated black schools as well as their significance for educators today.