By Patricia Morris
Armed with professional knowledge, parental concern, and firm resolve the TPSS was violating a nearly 50-year-old court order, the Greater Tangipahoa Parish Branch NAACP set out to see this type of treatment of all students in this school system would no longer be, we returned to court on a nearly 50-year-old Desegregation Case which had lain dormant for nearly as long as this case was old. This change would begin to see come to fruition the placement of the first Black Head Football Coach at Amite High School since this case was won in 1979, and the schools were forced to integrate in this parish in 1969.
Thursday saw something happen that Judge Lemelle said would happen on the first day of testimony in Federal Court. Ironically, Judge Lemelle did as he said he would do, and that is "set precedence in the Moore Case," and it is said loud and clear. The TPSS will be desegregated as the Fourteenth Amendment says it is to be. The task now before the TPSS is great, and while we all wait to see if this school system will do as is ordered of them now in Thursday's Ruling, we do know there is nothing to boast about, because great challenges are now before the TPSS to comply with what they say will be done in desegregating the schools in this school system, and the NAACP, as well as other parish school system's in Louisiana and across this country continue to monitor the final outcome.
While Unitary Status has not been granted, and most probably will not be granted for sometime to come, that is, until all that is in Judge Lemelle's order is complied with, and Attorney Nelson Taylor signs off on the final document that will grant unitary status to close this case, and the NAACP agrees with all that is to be done, we will wait to see, but will continue to monitor this school system to be certain they will comply with what has been said in the Judge's Order. No other choice(s) is/are viable, because of the school system's inability to either be or their refusal to be transparent in all aspects, especially the financial aspects of this school system in the money they now have that is bondable and according to their own 2009 Legislative Audit, claiming to have a bonding capacity of $214 million dollars now that can be borrowed against on the exisitng taxes they now have, begs to ask the question of why are they now asking for the largest tax increase in Louisiana's history.
In the Bible, David was a boy standing before Goliath with a "rag and a stone." However, history was made when that rag and stone was used to slay a giant. In other words, this is not the NAACP's or Pat Morris's battle. It belongs to God, and whatever God has ordained would be for this time, will be. We rest comfortably in this knowledge, and know through God's Guidance and the help of many people who have seen happen those things come to fruiition to correct years of inequities and neglect found in this school system as is happening now, we are eternally grateful.
The question(s) now being asked is, "is this what the NAACP wants, and is this their idea(s) in what the judge signed off on." We must answer and say, many of the decisions made by the Judge could stem from complaints made since returning to court in the areas of inequities and neglect found, however, Judge Lemelle made clear, he had the authority to impose a tax to satisfy this case, and when O.W. Dillon is seen as the first order of business this school system is to do as mentioned in his latest order, the NAACP and its President complained continually of how disenfranchised and disparate the treatment was in this school's facilities from the TPSS. To see the monies to build this school will come from one of the pennies the school system has listed as pay-as-you-go funds is fair, considering what is happening to the pay-as-you-go and property tax funds from the Kentwood Area that have gone, and continue to go to reduce the bonding debt of building Sumner who has no taxing district.
The real truth of the matter is, those tax dollars collected in Kentwood and other areas are used to pay the bonds for building the schools in the Sumner School District, while Sumner has no real taxbase, while the schools in Kentwood continued to be neglected; the local NAACP found this to be wrong. We are happy Judge Lemelle visited O.W. Dillon, and as he traversed through this school, and as we are told his continuing to shake his head at what he saw as wrong, Judge Lemelle saw what we have seen for the past 50 years, and it will be addressed now in the building of a new school for O.W. Dillon Elementary School.
The late Mrs. Jewel Sumner was a board member who served in an organization named the United Workers Club in North Tangipahoa Parish, my late husband and I founded in the early 1980"s. One day, I will share Mrs. Sumner's views on why the land she donated to this school system was donated to build Sumner High and Jr. High Schools, and her thoughts on the condition(s) of O.W. Dillon and Kentwood High and Jr. High Schools during Mrs. Sumner's lifetime.
Nonetheless, time is a healer of all things, and as this school system complies with what they have agreed to do to satisfy the court orders they are under, it is realized this school system had to present a plan in what they would do to satisfy the orders of the court from a case won in 1979 that said this school system had not done enough to desegregate its schools following the forcing of integregation in 1969. We wait to see the outcome, and again, will continue to monitor it.
Finally, Sylvia Schon always writes in her stories on this case, she was unable to reach the NAACP President or Plaintiff's Attorneys. While I do not know if she is attempting to contact plaintiff's attorneys, I do know that Sylvia did not call the NAACP phone line, nor my celluar phone, and say to her, Sylvia, the NAACP phone, as well as my cell phone does have operable caller ID's. You have not called, and please stop the charade you masquerade in telling a lie in the media. Information has come forth stating you do this, fully knowing you do not call just to say you did call. You did not call, and even if you had called, you are correct, I would not have had a statement to give to you, because it is proven time and time again, much of what is said to you from plaintiff's side when this case first returned to court, and you replaced Reporter Don Elzy as the TPSS's School Reporter for the Daily Star, is skewed when you report it in your stories. Everyone knows the truth of that which you are attempting to do.
My time is too valuable to do otherwise.