Jo Ann Allen Boyce

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Two years after the Brown v. Board decision came down, Clinton, Tennessee was forced to integrate their high school, accepting twelve black students. At first, all went peacefully, but following the arrival of John Kasper to town, whites in town began to act violently toward blacks - from spitballs to mobs to beating up a white pastor who offered to walk the black students into the school. The National Guard show more was sent in to maintain order. Ultimately, some of the "Clinton 12" graduated from Clinton High School, while others dropped out, finished elsewhere, or moved away. Jo Ann Allen's family moved to California, where she finished school and became a nurse, and remained lifelong friends with another member of the Clinton 12, Gail Ann Epps.

This unique first-person narrative told in verse (some free, some rhyming) offers a close personal account of living through a historic time. Jo Ann examines her town through a critical lens: all is peaceful as long as blacks stay "in their place." This means, too, that even when black students are integrated into the white school, they aren't allowed to "socialize" with white students, meaning they can't join teams or clubs or attend dances. But even when integration begins, violence does not erupt right away, though neither are most of the whites terribly welcoming (there are a few exceptions); it takes an outside agitator to prompt the violence. Jo Ann wonders how her white neighbors, who have so often borrowed a cup of sugar, can still be so against integration.

Back matter includes an epilogue, more about Jo Ann and Clinton and the other members of the Clinton 12, a note on the writing of the book, quotes, a scrapbook of photographs, a timeline of school desegregation and civil rights landmarks, acknowledgments, quotation sources, a selected bibliography, further reading, and photo credits.

Quotes

When I taste the bitter,
when I feel the pain
from the daily slights
like a spreading stain...
From "No Coloreds" here
to "Whites Only" there,
from the genteel chains
that we're forced to wear--" (17)

And then, at church, a prayer for peace,
but it sounds like we're going to war. (67)

I mopped my way into fairy tales,
which, when you think about it,
sounds like a fairy tale. (83)

But you can't unhear
what you hear....
But now, I don't want to walk out.
I want to walk in.
I can't unhear what I hear.
I won't walk away from it, either. (90-91)

600 soldiers
for a town
of not even 4,000
divided over
12 students:
I hope this is
a solvable equation. (116)

"It is difficult through law and through force
to change a man's heart"
...Yes, it is difficult
to change a promise of change
into real change (129) show less

Through poems, Jo Ann Allen Boyce tells the story of being one of the first 12 black students to attend all-white Clinton High School in Clinton, TN, in 1956.Altogether, the work is a blistering indictment of the actions of Clinton’s white community. Book makes this period of history eye-opening and accessible. Poetry forms are described in the authors notes.

Jo Ann Allen Boyce tell the story of how she was one of the first 12 African American students to attend the all-white school of Clinton High School in Clinton, TN in 1956 through poems. This book makes this period of history and eye opener and informative of how she felt through his process. This story is great for student to learn about this history of integration and how it all started in schools. This also shows students how much schools have evolved since that time.

children's teen Black history nonfiction, written in verse.
a quick read and a story that is very relatable (with parallels to today's problems), plus informative backmatter. If you can get a kid to start reading it, they'll probably make it through to the end, so I would recommend this.