During Black History Month we should reflect on what has been, we evaluate what is, and we hope for what will come. We discuss the eff ects of greed and imperialism on the individual and we rejoice in how far we have come in regards to inequality and racism. We focus on fi- gures who have overcome adversity and who have evoked change in our culture. We praise these fi gures, and with good reason because now, thanks to them, we live in increased enlightenment. Henry Ford is one fi gure who helped the community of Richmond Hill achieve quality in education and opportunity.

In 1939, Henry Ford founded The George Washington Carver School for African Americans. Up until this point, the only African American schools in Richmond Hill were one-roomed school houses that were largely ineff ective in educating the majority of the African American community. Ford named The George Washington Carver School in honor of his friend, Dr. George Washington Carver, a widely acclaimed African American scientist known as the “Peanut Man” still today. Carver came to the opening of the school in 1939 and gave the inaugural speech. H.G. Cooper served as the school’s first and most esteemed principal.

Ford tested the grade levels of all the new students and found that the highest completed grade level was fifth grade, so in 1939 The George Washington Carver School had grades 1st through 6th and totaled 150 students. Each year, for five years, a new grade formed until the Carver School reached through the 11th grade and accommodated 300 students!

The school had large classrooms assuring that there was ample room for every student to have a desk with adequate workspace. Rooms had large windows, ensuring that the students could easily see the chalkboard. A trade school was established with a workshop. Charles Savage educated the students for future occupations such as construction and woodworking. Mr. Ford also built a “teacherage” to house many of the teachers who were not from the area. Several held Master’s degrees and created a rigorous curriculum. Ford provided free transportation to and from school on the Carver School Bus, alleviating the struggle of walking far distances to school.

Reverend Clarence Jackson, Carver graduate from the class of 1959, reminisced about his time at the school by telling me about the 4-H Club, free all-you-could-eat lunches, weekly chapel, and best of all…recess! “Th ose were some of my best days,” said Jackson with childlike joy. We played cowboys and Indians everyday at recess and watched the girls dance around the Maypole on the fi rst of May!” Jackson also remembers studying the lives and works of Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass and discussing the signifi cance of people like Jackie Robinson, Jack Johnson, and Mary Edison. The graduation rate at Carver was excellent and the students were very successful in finding careers aft er graduation. A handful of the students went on to college, but college was not really talked about at school in the same way it is today. Ford did however provide the resources to go to college through a scholarship which he created in 1945 with the first graduating class of The George Washington Carver School, resulting in the admission of five graduates to Savannah State College. A wonderful achievement!

Henry Ford’s dedication to equal opportunity in education ensured the high quality of the Carver School in its early days, but maintenance of the school and advancements beyond 1939 were a challenge. Reverend Jackson explained that the instruction at the school was excellent, but the source of education was fl awed because the Carver School began receiving second hand text books from Richmond Hill School. By the time his school received the texts, the information in the books was largely outdated and as a result, Carver students suffered on standardized tests administered by the state. Another challenge was the school bus that took the students to school each day. The bus was so decrepit that every mile, they stopped to add water to the radiator to cool it down. This maintenance method esulted in  unnecessarily long school bus rides. Imagine the patience of that bus driver! Also, the absence of a gym was an issue for Carver students in the colder months. “During basketball games the players would warm up by a fire built in a 55 gallon drum. The fans in the crowd would warm up by other drums, totaling about six fire-lit drums,” said Jackson. Now, those were some avid fans. The school did finally build a gym before it closed. In 1969, enforced school integration made history.

Both Reverend Jackson and his wife, Margaret, spoke highly about Richmond Hill’s experience with integration. Mrs. Jackson started working at Richmond Hill School when Carver closed (1969). When asked why they thought the transition to integration went so smoothly in Richmond Hill, Mrs. Jackson replied by giving credit to the heavy reliance on Christianity in the community. “Everybody got along and knew one another,” she explained. “It takes a village…and it was that kind of community reliance that made Richmond Hill so strong and appealing to growth.”

Unlike many communities in the south, integration in Richmond Hill was for the most part, a smooth transition stretching over a few years. Richmond Hill began integrating before it was mandated by law, so most of the African American students transferred to Richmond Hill School from Carver a few years before Georgia’s official 1969 integration. Jackson explained that some did choose to stay at the Carver School until its close in ‘69, but most transferred immediately to Richmond Hill, where the books and facilities were current. Jackson’s son was in first grade at the time and went to Richmond Hill School through graduation. The freedom to choose between integrating and segregating in the first few years, contributed greatly to the success of integration. By the time it was a governmental mandate, most had already chosen to transfer and the student body was already well adjusted to any change.

Hind sight is not always 20/20. The division between races is not merely black and white and inequality cannot be simplified into good versus evil. Things are hazy and there are misleading shadows in our history and future, but the belief that people like Henry Ford and H.G. Cooper had—that an alternate perception can exist and be attained is the very hope that drives our country forward.

References:

Henry Ford Era at Richmond Hill, Georgia by Dr. Franklin Leslie Long