Interest Convergence and Desegregation in the Ohio Valley

Abstract

This article chronicles the history of two school districts located in the upper Mill Creek Valley of the Greater Cincinnati Metropolitan area. The creation of the Black Lincoln Heights School District and the predominately White Princeton School District is a history of segregation while the merger of these two districts, nearly 20 years later, tells a unique story of desegregation. Historical data from primary and secondary sources provide an account from various perspectives of school segregation and desegregation. These particular histories are documented in a manner that illuminates the political, social, economic, and, of course, racial factors that led to their separation and union. In 1970, the Princeton School District agreed to accept 1,900 Black students from a neighboring, economically depressed community of Lincoln Heights, Ohio. Understanding the complex and interlocking political, social, economic, and racial factors that lead to segregation, desegregation, and more recently resegregation is often difficult. Critical race theory (CRT), a paradigm originating out of the legal field, has potential for 'making sense' of the actions of the major players in these racial segregation/integration scenarios. Though this paradigm has its roots in the legal field, it is a philosophical lens that allows one to bring into focus issues of race and class dominance in the general society as well as in specific institutions such as those within the United States education system. CRT can be used to clarify not only the rules of law and the rulings of American courts, such as found in school segregation cases, but can also bring insight to the analysis of rules that govern society and communities concerning these issues. While racial segregation and desegregation of schools and educational systems are considered directly related to the presence or lack of equal opportunities for American children, their histories have not been explored from a theoretical framework. In the specific historical accounts of the desegregation and merger of the Princeton (PSD) and Lincoln Heights (LHSD) school districts, this is especially true. While there are many newspaper accounts, both current and reflective, none attempt to report the events through a particular philosophical or theoretical lens. Lucas (1971, 1976), the superintendent of PDS during the merger, wrote concerning the successful outcome with little reference to and no in-depth analysis of the factors that led to the segregation of Lincoln Heights or its merger with Princeton. The 1971 title, Princeton's Investment in Children Provides New Opportunities for All, hints heavily of the benevolence of the Princeton district in accepting the neighboring Black children. Lucas talks about the revocation of the Lincoln Heights charter and the positive resolution of the Princeton Board of Education after the Ohio State Board of Education transferred the Lincoln Heights students. There is no mention of the Lincoln Heights Board's involvement in initiating the merger and little emphasis placed on the threatened legal action. On the other hand, Lucas credits much of the success of the merger to the Princeton school board's commitment to integration and details many of the phase-in programs and school and community activities he and the board initiated and implemented to assure a smooth transfer. Similarly, Luke (1981a, 1981b, 1982) wrote a series of historical accounts of the emergence and growth of the Princeton School district, but they too lack philosophical or theoretical analysis and also omit facts concerning the involvement of the Lincoln Heights community or school board in the LHSD/PSD merger. In fact, one may perceive from the above mentioned accounts that the decision to accept the Black students into the predominately White school system was driven by the good-hearted will of the White community members and by their commitment to equality of opportunity. Such motivation is contrary to what history reveals about the prevailing attitudes that led to the isolation of these same students and in the creation of the segregated Lincoln Heights School District of the 1950s (Leigh, 1997; Taylor, 1993). …