Untying the Knot

In his 1970 court decision related to the integration of the Fulton County School System, US District Court Judge John Minor Wisdom called the desegregation of public schools “a difficult knot to untie.” Wisdom's statement is reflected in the long, complex history that chronicles the integration of our public schools. It is a history with many voices from a diverse group of communities, many of which are captured here.       

Project: Untying the Knot is comprised of an exhibit located at the Teaching Museum South, an online companion exhibit featured here, a 34-minute documentary, and an oral history series. All of these resources rely on first-person accounts and primary sources to reveal a complicated history of segregation and integration of Fulton County’s public schools, 1950s-70s.

Explore each resource below.   

Untying the Knot: The Entangled History of Equality in Education (virtual exhibit)

From Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board to the Civil Rights Movement and modern-day student civic participation, this interactive, virtual exhibit tells national and local stories of the complicated process of desegregating our public schools and the students who took a stand for equity in education.

Our School, Our Fight: Saving Eva Thomas High  (documentary)

In an era of social unrest, students of the all-Black Eva Thomas High School challenged the idea that change required a loss of community. Their story comes to life through first-person accounts and raw news footage in this compelling, 34-minute film.

Untying the Knot on CANVAS (online Instructional course)

Featuring primary sources from the Library of Congress and local collections, this online course spotlights communities facing the monumental changes brought about by desegregation. Instructional materials, including primary source analysis strategies and interactive tools support Language Arts, US History, American Government and Civics.

COMING SOON

Untying the Knot Oral History Series

Beginning in 2021, staff at the Teaching Museum and Archives began collecting stories from students and staff who attended, or worked in, the public schools of Fulton County as they were transformed from segregated to integrated spaces. Their stories are preserved here.