Embracing the Douglass legacy long after segregation

I was researching a project for Downtown Kingsport and came across an article on segregation in schools. Down a rabbit hole I went. Isn’t that how the internet works anyway? My search hit on “Downtown Kingsport churches”, noting they had donated a film to the public library.

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a decision that segregation had no place in public schools. Much like other Supreme Court decisions, even recently, it forced a social sea change in American life that some embraced, and some rejected.

With the power of YouTube, I found the donated film online. It depicts the raw opinion of citizens on both sides of the issue from two Southern cities–Gastonia, NC and Natchitoches, LA. It was very uncomfortable to watch, especially when looking backwards 69 years ago. There were moments that made me proud and others that made me cringe. Nevertheless, it’s important we watch, lest we forget.

The brand-new Douglass High School opened in Kingsport in 1951. The Supreme Court’s decision on integration happened only 3 years after. Douglass closed in 1966 and now serves as the V.O. Dobbins Complex.

My friend, Calvin Sneed, is the spokesperson and advocate for The Sons and Daughter of Douglass. When the building was remodeled in 2010, City Manager John Campbell decided to embrace the Douglass legacy. Architect Dineen West suggested the gym floors be painted in Douglass colors and the Tiger mascot reintroduced. A special room was added to display the many memories. Alumni responded by bringing long lost trophies and photos out of the attic. To cap it all off, in a surprise move, Chris McCartt, then Assistant to the City Manager, asked Lafe Cook, Dobyns-Bennett band director, if he could play the Douglass fight song. No one could find the sheet music, but an audio copy was found in the library and converted. On the day of the ribbon-cutting, with Douglass alumni in the reserved section at the front, the band played the national anthem and then broke into the Douglass fight song. Tears flowed as many hadn’t heard the tune in decades.

As for me and my generation, we had never known a time when Kingsport schools were segregated since we were the first group of students to complete all twelve years as a fully integrated class. The downside is that we knew nothing about Douglass.

In 2019, the annual basketball rivalry between Dobyns-Bennett of Kingsport and Science Hill of Johnson City was converted into a tribute game. I don’t know whose idea it was, perhaps D-B Coach Chris Poore, perhaps Athletic Director Frankie DeBusk, or perhaps others, but it has done wonders to resurrect and honor our shared past and introduce current students to alumni who grew up in very different circumstances.

One thing that did strike me, though, is how well-dressed, articulate, and mannerly all of the public-school students were in 1954, regardless of race. Everyone certainly put their best foot forward when they attended school. Sometimes I like today’s casual comfort clothes, but other times I yearn for a past of civility and decorum.