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Rozelle in Memphis in Shelby County, Tennessee — The American South (East South Central)
 

The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School

 
 
The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Steve Masler, October 8, 2015
1. The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School Marker
Inscription. Front
The first African-American students to enroll in Rozelle Elementary School were E. C. Freeman, Joyce Bell, Clarence Williams, and Leandrew Wiggens. Mattie Freeman, mother of E. C. Freeman, said, "It would be foolish to send my little 6-year-old 3 miles away [to school] when there was one a block away." Joyce Bell White noted that when her classmate E.C. Freeman Fentress died in 2010: "In her obituary, it [her role as one of the Memphis 13] wasn't even mentioned." Leandrew Wiggens remembered the pressure. "It got overwhelming to me. So I begged my Mom. Eventually my parents took me out. If I was scared, they were scared." Clarence Williams recalled his father's viewpoint. "He thought I would get a better education at Rozelle, get more out of life." Also to be remembered are the dedicated parents of these students: Mattie Freeman, Bettie Marie Bell, Edward Williams, and Woodrow Williamson.

Back
In implementing the U.S. Supreme Court's 1954 decision outlawing school segregation by race, the Memphis Board of Education ultimately agreed in 1961 to a plan to integrate the schools. The Memphis Branch of the NAACP recruited 200 applicants, and 13 African-American first graders were selected to integrate four elementary schools. This phased-in approach, adding a grade per year, was regarded as the safest
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way to desegregate the schools. Without violence on October 3, 1961, the students enrolled in Bruce, Gordon, Rozelle, and Springdale Elementary schools. After opening day they were on their own. During the course of the year and those that followed, their social isolation and educational progress were left unmonitored. Despite their difficulties, these 13 "pint-sized pioneers" struck a fatal blow to school segregation and claimed their place in Memphis history.
 
Erected 2015 by New Sardis Baptist Church, Dr. Erma Clanton, the Friends of the Memphis 13 and the Shelby County Historical Commission.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African AmericansCivil RightsEducation. A significant historical date for this entry is October 3, 1961.
 
Location. 35° 7.104′ N, 90° 0.538′ W. Marker is in Memphis, Tennessee, in Shelby County. It is in Rozelle. Marker is at the intersection of Roland Street and Walker Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Roland Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 993 Roland St, Memphis TN 38114, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Tennessee Williams’ First Play (approx. 0.6 miles away); Thomas Moss ~ Calvin McDowell ~ William Henry Stewart (approx. 0.7 miles away); Zion Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away);
The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Steve Masler, October 8, 2015
2. The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School Marker
Chew C. Sawyer (approx. 0.7 miles away); Central Gardens Historic District (approx. one mile away); John B. Weatherall (approx. one mile away); G. P. Hamilton (approx. one mile away); Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal Church (approx. one mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Memphis.
 
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Set of four Memphis 13 desegration markers
 
Also see . . .
1. The Memphis 13 (2011). Documentary Film. (Submitted on October 10, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
2. The Memphis 13. (Submitted on October 10, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee.)
 
The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Steve Masler, October 8, 2015
3. The Memphis 13/Rozelle Elementary School Marker
Rozelle Elementary School image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Steve Masler, October 8, 2015
4. Rozelle Elementary School
Detail of Rozelle Elementary School image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Steve Masler, October 8, 2015
5. Detail of Rozelle Elementary School
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on February 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on October 10, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 828 times since then and 64 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 10, 2015, by Steve Masler of Memphis, Tennessee. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.

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Mar. 28, 2024