Integration

Integration proved to be a double-edged sword, with both positive and negative consequences. In Texas, the process of integration was legally mandated following the passage of the Civil Rights Act in 1964. However, it wasn't until 1965 that the Texas school system fully embraced integration. This delay in implementing integration was evident even after the landmark Supreme Court ruling in 1954, known as Brown v. Board of Education, which called for the desegregation of schools nationwide. It took an additional ten years for Texas schools to comply.

The Mansfield Incident stands out as the nation's first example of a failure to enforce a federal court order regarding the desegregation of a public school. Texas Governor R. Allan Shivers, a staunch opponent of the Brown decision, called upon the Texas Rangers in Mansfield to prevent any black students from entering the public school. Shivers disregarded the federal court order by authorizing the Mansfield Independent School District to redirect its black students to Fort Worth, Texas.

One positive aspect of integration was the opportunity it provided to enter businesses through the front door, as well as the availability of a few more opportunities. Additionally, our schools no longer received old books from white schools with previous names hastily covered up. Instead, we encountered new friends and discovered that there were white individuals who viewed us as equals.