College Hills in Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Graymont Elementary School

Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 19, 2020

1. Graymont Elementary School Marker

Inscription. On September 4, 1963, Graymont Elementary School was the first public school in Birmingham to be racially integrated. Two brothers, nine and eleven years old, accompanied by their father, James Armstrong, along with Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and attorney Oscar Adams Jr., became the first African Americans to register in an all-white city school. The 1963 desegregation of Graymont Elementary, as well as of West End High and Ramsey High in the same year, came in response to a court suit challenging Birmingham's segregated education system. The case had been initiated by James Armstrong in 1960, but it was not until three years later that the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court compelled the school board to admit black students.

Erected 2018 by Alabama Historical Association.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Education. In addition, it is included in the Alabama Historical Association series list. A significant historical date for this entry is September 4, 1963.

Location. 33° 30.849′ N, 86° 50.463′ W. Marker is in Birmingham, Alabama, in Jefferson

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County. It is in College Hills. It is at the intersection of 8th Avenue West and 3rd Street West, on the right when traveling west on 8th Avenue West. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 8th Ave W, Birmingham AL 35204, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Smithfield (approx. ¼ mile away); Racial Zoning (approx. ¼ mile away); Black Birmingham Housing (approx. ¼ mile away); Urban Renewal, Urban Removal (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Push for Fair Housing (approx. 0.3 miles away); Black Classes and the Masses (approx. 0.4 miles away); Rev. Shuttlesworth Calls for Peace and Action (approx. 0.4 miles away); The Price of Freedom (approx. 0.4

View of marker and former school in background. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, July 19, 2020

2. View of marker and former school in background.

Building is now used by the Jefferson County Committee for Economic Opportunity (JCCEO).

miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Birmingham.

Also see . . . BHAM Wiki article on the former Graymont Elementary School. (Submitted on July 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 27, 2024. It was originally submitted on July 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 1,222 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 20, 2020, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.