Desegregation in South Carolina Schools: Millicent Brown
Multimedia Essay by John Quirk and Meg Carroll

Introduction:
“The Brown v. School District 20 Civil Action Suit”

The first image is of the first page of the Brown v. School District 20 Civil Action Suit. The first sentence reads, “This notion was brought by thirteen Negro children and their parents on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated for an injunction enjoining the operation of the school system of School District Number 20 in Charleston County, South Carolina, on a racially segregated basis.” Page twelve of the document (the second image)  begins the orders of the court, where the court rules that Millicent E. Brown is to be enrolled and admitted into the white school, along with the other plaintiffs. The orders go on to say that no one is to refuse them entrance to the school on the basis of color or race. 

 

2. “Rivers High School 16th Commencement Program” (1966)

This is the commencement program for the 1966 graduating class of Rivers High School in Charleston, SC. This is the year that Millicent Brown, one of the first Black students to be part of desegregation in Charleston, graduated. She joined Rivers High School, which had previously been an all white school, as a sophomore in 1963. Her name is visible in the bottom left column under General Diplomas. The significance of this commencement program is that it represents one of the first successful cases of desegregation in the city of Charleston.

This photograph is of the Brown family. Millicent is on the far left of the picture, followed by her mother to the right, her little sister MaeDe, then her father J. Arthur Brown. J. Arthur Brown was an activist in Charleston, working to desegregate and create a more egalitarian society, despite much backlash from the white community in Charleston. This photo gives some context into the life of the Brown family. One can assume that they were part of the middle class, due to their clothes and possibly being at a party in this image. Additionally, though we do not know the exact year that this photo was taken, it gives insight into the attitude and strength that Millicent and J. Arthur Brown had during this time.

Watch video: https://lcdl.library.cofc.edu/lcdl/catalog/lcdl:80755

Description:

This is an interview with Millicent Brown from the year 2000. It is part of a series called Somebody Had To Do It. In this interview, Millicent details her experience being one of the first Black students to attend a previously White high school. She talks about the animosity she faced from both the Black community and the White community. She talks about some of the other pioneering students, such as Jackie Ford, who were part of this struggle with her. One quote that stands out to me and illustrates well the experience that Millicent had at Rivers is: “ I had the grades to be in the honor society but they voted not to let me in... I had an occasion to look back on my high school transcript, and looked at the comments that my homeroom teacher...had made about me and... I read things like “displayed no leadership capacity” and “was not outstanding in terms of extra-curricular activities.” And I could not believe not one word was in the record that put it in context or in some way said, “oh by the way, she was one of the first Black kids. The students did not accept her. She was ostracized.” I mean nothing like that.”

5. “Photo of Millicent Brown and Friends”

Description:

This photograph of Millicent E. Brown was taken in ???. She is standing fourth from the right amongst her group of friends, and she appears to be very young. The photograph was taken in the streets of Charleston on a sidewalk. The group is standing in front of a car. 

6. “Post and Courier Article about M.B”

https://www.postandcourier.com/350/articles/september-3-1963-desegregation-of-charleston-county-schools/article_57ad29ca-ec79-11ea-b09f-6bd283f84bc7.html

Description:

This is a portrait of Millicent E. Brown today, printed in the Charleston Post and Courier on the 57th anniversary of the desegregation of District 20. The original article was published on September 3rd, 1963.