Burton v Wilmington Parking Authority
In August 1958, Wilmington City Councilman and Civil Rights activist William “Dutch” Burton worked with the NAACP to expose the racially discriminatory practices of the Eagle Coffee Shoppe. The restaurant was located on this site in a complex owned and operated by the Wilmington Parking Authority. When Burton was denied service at the Eagle due […]
Louis L. Redding Comprehensive High School
The Louis L. Redding Comprehensive High School opened in 1953 and served African American students in grades 1-12 in the Middletown area. It replaced the smaller Middletown School 120-C, a three-room wood structure on East Lake Street. The school was named in honor of Delaware’s first African American lawyer, Louis L. Redding, who was known […]
Old Claymont High School
NCC-099: Constructed 1924-25. Also known as the Green Street School. Prominent in United States history as the first public high school in the 17 segregated states to be legally integrated. In January 1951, eight black students applied for admission. Due to the “separate but equal” education system in place at that time, the Claymont Board […]
Brown v. Board of Education
Delaware remained a racially segregated society until the mid-twentieth century. Though the segregation of public schools was supported by the “separate but equal” doctrine that had been upheld by the nation’s highest court, the facilities and services provided for students were hardly equal. Seeking to address this situation, citizens in the communities of Claymont and […]
