Black Lexingtonians Believed Strongly in Education 1865

Black Lexingtonians Believed Strongly in Education 1865. Empowerment through Learning. Before the Civil War, black Lexingtonians established private schools in churches and educated missionaries who were sent around the world. After 1865, with the support of the Freedmen's Bureau, four free schools for black students were established., One of those, Howard School, was located here on Church Street. The building was known as the "Ladies Hall" because of women's fundraising efforts for the school. Howard School grew into the region's largest school for African American students. By 1872, taxes supported public schools for African Americans on Fourth, Constitution, and Patterson Streets. , Student segregation continued , Public schools were segregated by race until the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court's landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision. Both Lexington and Fayette County high schools soon integrated., Lexington's lower schools, however, remained segregated until black parents successfully challenged the school system in Robert Jefferson et al. v. Fayette County Board of Education (1971-72). The judge ordered development of a plan to fully integrate Lexington's schools.