In observance of Black History Month, Northeastern Technical College (NETC) held “Pioneers of the Movement,” an event featuring a panel of Civil Rights Trailblazers in the college’s service area. The event took place Thursday, Feb. 13, in the NETC auditorium located on the Cheraw campus.
Ted Bradley opened the occasion by leading the attendees in a congregational hymn. Tierra Rolls, a student at Long Junior High School, provided additional entertainment dancing to “Stand Up,” a song recently featured in the movie Harriet.
James Sweeney, Chesterfield County School Board Member, facilitated the question and answer session where participants were introduced and had the opportunity to share their experiences. Sweeney informed the audience of how segregated schools were financially irresponsible and resulted in underfunded African American schools experiencing a lack of proper educational resources. Desegregation was an effort to provide an equal quality educational experience to all students in the area.
School Desegregation Pioneers included Frances Hardison, Geraldine Johnson, Geraldine Parnell, Delphenia Rollins, Marlboro Terry, and Karen Wilkerson. These pioneers were among the first African Americans to integrate schools in the area.
The consensus among the participants was outside of a few isolated incidents; desegregation was a safe experience. As members of the community, African American Students were somewhat familiar with their new classmates and their families. They were able to receive a quality education after integration. Many graduated and went on to do great things.
Community Pioneers are among the first African Americans to hold various positions in the community. Sheriff James Dixon, Major Dr. Carolyn Prince, and Jeran Millar, a retired dispatcher, are community pioneers that participated in the event.
The event concluded with Joe Truesdale delivering a soul-stirring rendition of “A Change is Gonna Come.”