Community Spirit Despite Unequal Resources: The Segregated Education of Blacks in the Howard County Public School System, 1935-1965

Abstract

This thesis explores the segregated colored schools of Howard County, Maryland. It focuses on what gave rise to their formation, the conditions in which they functioned and the factors that ultimately led to their discontinuation after the 1954 landmark decision of Brown vs. Board of Education that deemed separate but equal legislation unconstitutional. This study highlights the achievements, hardships, and organizing activities that were necessary to maintain schooling for Black children in Howard County, Maryland. The central aim of this thesis is to dispel the myth and deconstruct the narrative suggesting that segregated colored schools lacked high learning standards and were ineffective, generating poor academic and social outcomes. Through centering the voices of the Black students, faculty, parents, and extended community, the schooling experiences of Cooksville High School and Harriet Tubman Junior Senior High School will be analyzed. These were all-Black segregated schools that served as the first secondary schools for Black students of the Howard County Public School System. Through in-depth research and analysis, I intend to argue that, despite being underfunded and having lesser opportunities, segregated Black schools and the Black community of Howard County successfully empowered its students through tight knit relationships, high academic standards, and a strong community spirit.