The good, the bad and the ugly of high school sports in the Mountain State before and after integration will be the focus of a Feb. 24 forum at West Virginia University.
Former coaches, teachers and student-athletes from historically black West Virginia public schools will gather in the Mountainlair Ballrooms to share their stories as part ofSegregation and Integration of High School Sports in West Virginia.
Billed as a homecoming and family reunion, the daylong event is part of WVU s ongoing 50 th anniversary celebration of the Brown v. Board of Education decision. The landmark Supreme Court ruling outlawed segregation in the nations public schools.
Youre going to hear from various speakers about how a sense of community developed around African-American sports,said Dana Brooks, dean of the School of Physical Education and coordinator of the event.
Black high schools served as community centers and coaches as role models, explained Brooks, whose research with WVU sociology professor Ron Althouse chronicles the young black athlete experience in West Virginia.
This sense of community waned after the Brown decision, with many successful coaches losing their jobs and the former black schools falling into disrepair, he said.
Youll hear from coaches who disappeared from the system, others who fought to keep their new jobs in integrated schools, and alumni who went on to successful careers,he added.While Brown was the right decision, it came with costs.
Activities get under way at 9 a.m. with poster presentations and oral histories compiled by Brooks and Althouse. The public may view the exhibit until 4 p.m.
David Wiggins, director of the School of Recreation, Health and Tourism at George Mason Universitys College of Education and Human Development, will give the keynote speech at 7 p.m. His topic will beIntegration of High School Sports Across America.
Wiggins is the author ofGlory Bound: Black Athletes in a White Americaand has edited or co-edited several books on race and sport. He is currently editing the bookSport and the Racial Mountain: A Biographical History of the African American Athlete.
He will provide an excellent overview of the integration of high school sports across American immediately following the Brown decision,Brooks said.He will show that the path to integration was uneven at best as we look across the country.
Following Wigginsspeech, a panel of former coaches, teachers and alumni from previously segregated schools in West Virginia will then share their experiences prior to and after the Brown decision.
Panelists will be:
- Horace Belmear, a former coach at Dunbar School in Fairmont and retired WVU administrator
- Don Nuckols, a former basketball coach at Mullens High School
- Ergie Smith, a former basketball coach at Gary District
- Lacy Smith, a former Aracoma High School football coach who went to court to become football coach at Logan High School after the Brown decision
- C.V. Thomson, a former outstanding athlete at Stratton High School
- Anna Gilmer, a retired Garnet High School teacher and Charleston historian
- Charlene Marshall, a former Monongalia School cheerleader who now serves in the House of Delegates
- Charlotte Meade, a former cheerleader at Dunbar School and retired teacher
Both Wigginsspeech and the panel discussion are also open to the public.
For more information about the event, contact Brooks at 304-293-3295 ext. 5285 or dbrooks@mail.wvu.edu .
Visithttp://www.wvu.edu/~socjust/brown_v_board_aug20.htmfor more on WVU s Brown v. BOE celebration.