GREENSBORO, N.C. — This year... WFMY News 2 turns 75! So to celebrate... We're opening the WFMY News 2 vault.
On July 23, 1969, Greensboro City Schools faced the possibility of losing federal funding if their integration progress didn't improve.
The process started in 1955 with a Freedom of Choice Act that let students attend schools of their choice.
But by 1969, The Federal Department of Health Education and Welfare said Greensboro hadn't made enough progress.
In that 14 years... No white student had chosen to attend a predominantly black school.
And, with the exception of six white teachers, Dudley High School remained predominantly black.
"HEW contends that although city has made desegregation progress since 1954, when the Freedom of Choice plan was initiated, faster and more effective means are available which would lead to a completely nonracial school system... the HEW brief offered zoning as opposed to Freedom of Choice,"
It would take two more years, until 1971, before Greensboro fully integrated public schools.
They became one of the last five cities in North Carolina to do so.
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