Douglass School

Douglass School. . , Named after statesmen and former slave, Frederick Douglass, this school opened in 1920., That year the Kokomo School Board recommended that all African-American students in first through seventh grades enroll only at Douglass., With no school transportation available, many elementary students walked two miles or more, often past all-white elementary schools, to receive their education., One of the school's highlights happened when First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt made a surprise visit. Principal Henry Perry led her to classrooms where she spoke with teachers and students. Mrs. Roosevelt posed for a photograph on the front steps surrounded by students., Reverend Henry Perry was the school's principal from 1927 to 1949. In April 1940, Principal Perry led an organizational meeting in the school's basement gymnasium, where a board of directors was elected and $500 pledged for the future establishment of the Carver Community Center. At the meeting, the teachers of Douglass School pledged $115., In 1949 the Indiana legislature required school districts to end racial segregation in public schools by 1954. In 1954 the school board merged all-black Douglass School with nearby Willard School (three blocks south.) Students in first through third grades attended Willard, while students in fourth through sixth attended Douglass., In a 1967 racial discrimination case, a U.S. District Court ordered Douglass School to be closed. The judge cited the school's "inferior educational resources," and the following year Douglass School ceased operations.