Integrated Charlotte High School in 1957: A Historical Event by 15-Year Old Dorothy Counts
Historical Profile: Dorothy Counts, Pioneering Integration Violently Opposed
September 4, 1957, marked a significant yet turbulent milestone for Dorothy Geraldine Counts, a 15-year-old Black sophomore in Charlotte, North Carolina. Undeterred by threats, Counts became the first Black student at Harry Harding High School, confronting a racially charged mob of nearly a thousand individuals.
Photographs capturing her dignified entry on that fateful day have since come to symbolize the raw struggle for equality during the Civil Rights Movement.
As her family car approached Harding High School, a mob organized by the White Citizens' Council awaited. Counts, who had grown up in the university neighborhood around Johnson C. Smith University, where her father Herman served as a professor, had hitherto been shielded from the brutal effects of racial prejudice.
Her attitude transformed, however, during her attendance at the National Youth Assembly at Grinnell College in Iowa that summer. Her white roommate's initial shock and curiosity quickly descended into a barrage of questions, prompting Counts to explain the misconceptions surrounding her race and stressing their shared humanity. The encounter instilled in Counts a newfound resolve to confront the racial divide head-on.
When Counts arrived at Harding High School on September 4, she wore a checkered dress and a long yellow bow, feeling empowered by her father's assuring words the night before: "Remember who you are; remember that you're inferior to no one; remember that you can be anything you want to be; and don't hold your head low for anybody."
Upon exiting the car, Counts was subjected to jeers, spitting, and racist slurs from the hostile crowd. Unyielding, she strode towards the school, her clothes drenched with spittle. Inside the school, fellow students pelted her with erasers, while outside the mob tossed water and sticks at her as she left at the end of the day.
Miraculously, Counts remained undeterred and decided to return the following day. However, her brief tenure at Harding High School came to an end after just one week as her family felt compelled to withdraw her due to the ongoing harassment and threats. The Counts family eventually relocated to Philadelphia, where Dorothy Counts completed her high school education.
Though her integration of Harding High School was short-lived, Dorothy Counts-Scoggins, as she later became known, became a powerful symbol of resilience and determination in the face of adversity. Her story continues to serve as a reminder of the challenges faced by African Americans during a pivotal era in the fight for civil rights.
Years after her brave stand, in 2006, Counts received an apology from Woody Cooper, one of the boys who had taunted her in 1957. The two met for lunch, and Counts forgave Cooper, stating, "I forgave you a long time ago. This is an opportunity for us to do something for our children and grandchildren."
Despite progress, Charlotte, North Carolina, continues to grapple with the remnants of segregation. In 2010, Harding High School named its library after Dorothy Counts as a testament to her indomitable spirit and as a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality.
Dorothy Counts' experience at Harry Harding High School, despite being fraught with personal growth challenges, including harassment and racial slurs, significantly contributed to her education-and-self-development, underscoring the importance of standing against injustice for the sake of history and personal-growth. Furthermore, her encounters during her attendance at the National Youth Assembly at Grinnell College catalyzed her resolve toward education and learning, fueling her determination to confront the racial divide.
