Description
Friends Mary Guercio (80) and Patricia Colbert-Comier [no age given] discuss their involvement in the Lafayette Biracial Committee and the integration of schools in the 1980s.Subject Log / Time Code
Mary (M) and Patricia (P) discuss their involvement in the Lafayette Biracial Committee.
P details the history of the lawsuit brought to the court in 1965.
M explains the approach of Dr. Barranco and how members of the committee were selected.
M and P discuss some of the parameters the committee tried to abide by, including not bussing young children, not arbitrarily splitting neighborhoods, etc.
P describes some of the push back and challenges the committee and school board had to deal with.
M explains the re-zoning plan the school board had to implement. She describes what she learned as a white woman on the committee.
P tells a story of a Black young lady who was elected as homecoming queen and had to deal with horrible backlash.
M explains how the school board size was shrunk to nine members. She says when she ran for school board president, some people did not support her because she was involved with rezoning. M and P discuss how ultimately rezoning allowed people to get to know others of a different race in a more intimate way.
P explains how that initial lawsuit was resolved. P says the next thing that has to be reformed is disciplinary protocol.
Participants
- Mary Guercio
- Patricia Colbert-Cormier