Nashville Plan Schools/Fehr School
Inscription
In Brown v. Topeka (1954) and Brown II (1955) the U.S. Supreme Court ordered public schools nationwide to end racial segregation “with all deliberate speed.” Nashville failed to comply, resulting in the Kelley v. Board of Education case (1955) and the 1957 enactment of a grade-per-year plan starting at the first grade. In 1963, the Maxwell v. Davidson County (1960) case was merged with the Kelley case. In 1998, the court deemed the Metro school system to be desegregated.
Named for local merchant and former Board of Education member Rudolph Fehr (1850-1916), Fehr School opened in 1924. It was designed by architects Dougherty and Gardner. On Sept. 9, 1957, the school was desegregated by four African American first grade students. Some 200 protestors surrounded the school, jeering as students entered. Members of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) visited parents in the area, supporting those already enrolled and encouraging others to join them.
Location
Sources
More markers in Davidson
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