The Charlottesville City Council unanimously passed a resolution Monday apologizing for its role in the Massive Resistance, an effort to keep Virginia schools segregated in the 1950s.
The resolution will open several discussions and help rebuild some trust in the community, Charlottesville Mayor Dave Norris said.
"All of this is a precursor to dialogue on race," Norris said. It is an "effort to look at not just what happened 50 years ago [but to examine] where are the injustices of today that we need to address."
Don Martin, one of the first 12 students to integrate the Charlottesville school system, said the resolution "signals that at least [Council members] are thinking about positive action that will erase some of effects of segregated period," but added that whether such positive action will come to fruition remains to be seen.
Council members changed the resolution's language at its Sept. 21 meeting to clarify that Council was not just recognizing the bravery of the children but also the families who sued the school system to allow their children to attend predominantly white schools, Council member David Brown said.
"That took a lot of courage," Brown said.
The resolution was also changed to stress the contributions of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people, Norris said.
An event honoring the original integrating students took place at Venable Elementary School Sept. 26. Ann Carter, president and co-founder of Our Legacy Inc., which organized the event, said she was happy Council's resolution coincided with the Sept. 26 event. She added that she was "very pleased for the 12 because their efforts had been overlooked for so long."
Martin, who attended Lane High School, added, however, that he thinks it will be "a long time before there's any closure because society hasn't changed to the point where there's equal access for many different reasons."
Norris said he will meet with a Virginia General Assembly subcommittee in mid-October to update legislators about Charlottesville's ongoing diversity efforts.
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