I’m not sure why I stumbled upon it just now, but this photo stopped me dead in my tracks.
The young woman pictured is 15-year-old Dorothy Counts, who is pictured on her very first day in high school in North Carolina. She bravely decided to be the first black person at the school, and as you can gather from the grins and guffaws from the children and adults behind her, they’re just having a good ol’ time mocking and scowling at the darkie.
I’ve written about bullying in the past, including this incredibly epic post, but I would never pretend – – ever – – to have endured the kind of abuse and hatred that Ms. Counts did back in 1956. Here is a recounting of her first few days at school from Wikipedia (I’ve boldfaced a few items):
Counts-Scoggins was dropped off on her first day of school by her father, along with their family friend Edwin Thompkins. As their car was blocked from going closer to the front entrance, Edwin offered to escort Counts-Scoggins to the front of the school while her father parked the car. As she got out of the car to head down the hill, her father told her, "Hold your head high. You are inferior to no one."[1]
There were roughly 200 to 300 people in the crowd, mostly students. The harassment started when Emma Marie Taylor Warlick, the wife of John Z. Warlick, an officer of the White Citizens Council, urged the boys to "keep her out" and at the same time implored the girls to spit on her, saying: "Spit on her, girls, spit on her."[4][5] Counts-Scoggins walked by without reacting, but told the press later that many people threw rocks at her—most of which landed in front of her feet—and that students formed walls but parted ways at the last instant to allow her to walk past. Photographer Douglas Martin won the 1957 World Press Photo of the Year with an image of Counts being mocked by a crowd on her first day of school.[6]
After entering the building, she went into the auditorium to sit with her class. She was met with the same harassment that occurred outside the school building, constantly hearing racial slurs shouted to her. She said that no adults assisted or protected her during this time.[1] She mentioned after going to her homeroom to receive her books and schedule she was ignored.[1] After the school day around noon, her parents asked if she wanted to continue going to Harry Harding High School, and Counts-Scoggins said that she wanted to go back because she hoped after the students got to know her her time there would improve.[1]
Counts-Scoggins fell ill the following day. With a fever and aching throat, she stayed home from school that Friday, but returned on Monday. After returning to school, there was no crowd present outside the school. However, students and faculty were shocked at her return and proceeded to harass the fifteen-year-old girl.[1] While in class she was placed at the back of the classroom, and was ignored by her teacher. On Tuesday, during lunch a group of boys circled her and spat in her food. She proceeded to go outside and met another new student who was part of her homeroom class who talked to Counts-Scoggins about being new to Charlotte and the school.[1] When Counts-Scoggins returned home she told her parents that she felt better that she made a friend, and had someone to talk to. After her experience during her lunch period, Counts-Scoggins encouraged her parents to pick her up during her lunch period so that she could eat.[1]
On Wednesday, Counts-Scoggins saw the young girl in the hallway and the young girl proceeded to ignore Counts-Scoggins and hung her head. During her lunch period that day, a blackboard eraser was thrown at her and landed on the back of her head.[1] As she proceeded to go outside and met her oldest brother for lunch, she saw a crowd surrounding the family car, and the back windows were shattered. Counts-Scoggins says this was the first time she was afraid, because now her family was being attacked.
Here are some photos of these crackers and shitheads abusing this poor girl:
That last photo was particularly striking to me. I truly wonder what happened to this big-eared moron? I’m hoping he was shanked to death in prison, but that’s just me.
I was curious to hear whatever happened to the lengthily named Emma Marie Taylor Warlick, the adult mentioned above who encouraged girls to spin on Dorothy. Well, she died 20 years ago, and her obituary mentions “her great sense of humor” but conveniently doesn’t touch upon her more important aspects. It’s also mentioned that she was a long-time member of the Friendship Bible Class. I just left my own special memory on the page, although I’ve got a feeling it isn’t going to be approved.
As for what happened to Dorothy Counts after she gave up on her new high school:
Due to her experience at Harry Harding High School, her parents wanted her to go to an integrated school as they did not want her to assume all white people were the same. She was sent to live with her aunt and uncle in Yeadon, Pennsylvania, to finish her sophomore year, where she attended an integrated public school. Her aunt and uncle went to the school to talk to the principal about their niece's experiences and why she would be attending their high school.[1] There was a meeting held at the high school with students and teachers to assure that Counts-Scoggins would be treated like everyone else in the school.[1] She would find this out later and was not aware of this meeting. Her time at Yeadon was pleasant, but she felt homesick, so after her sophomore year, she went to Allen School, a private all-girls school in Asheville, North Carolina.[1] The private school's student body was not integrated but the faculty was.[1] Counts-Scoggins would graduate from Allen School and return to Charlotte to go to Johnson C. Smith University, where she earned her degree in Psychology in 1964. In 1962, she pledged Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[8]
After graduating from college, Counts-Scoggins would move to New York, where she got a job working with abused and neglected children. She would later move back to Charlotte and continuously did non-profit work with children who came from low-income families.
She quite clearly landed on her feet, and I cannot helped be moved by her courage, absolute courage, against a sea of hate.
With the passing of time, some of us learn the errors of our ways, and one flicker of light in this story does emerge:
In 2006, Counts-Scoggins received an email from a man named Woody Cooper. He had admitted to being one of the boys in the famous picture and wanted to apologize. They met up for lunch where Cooper asked her to forgive him and she responded by saying, "I forgave you a long time ago, this is opportunity to do something for our children and grandchildren."[10]
They agreed to share their story and from there, did many interviews and speaking engagements together.[11] In 2008, Dorothy Counts-Scoggins along with seven other people were honored for helping integrate North Carolina's public schools.[12] Each honoree received the Old North State Award from Governor Mike Easley. In 2010, Harding High School renamed its library in honor of Counts-Scoggins, an honor rarely bestowed upon living persons
It’s a shame that the one celebrated black person in recent years who received plaudits, admiration, statues, paintings, and (his family) an enormous amount of money, was a career criminal, pornographer, and drug addict. I’d say Ms. Counts is far more worthy of admiration, and it’s clear that her alma mater’s graduates have changed in ways she could have never imagined almost sixty years ago.
