Education - Desegregation | Ann Arbor District Library

Press enter after choosing selection

Jones School

Jones School was an anchor of Ann Arbor’s historically Black neighborhood (what is now Kerrytown) from the early twentieth century until 1965. Many living Ann Arbor residents remember attending Jones School during the Civil Rights Era. In 1964 the Ann Arbor Board of Education acknowledged that, with over 75% Black students, Jones was a “de facto” segregated school. Jones School closed in 1965, and several years later the building reopened as Community High School.

Media

Legacies Project Oral History: Lois Zimmerman

Thu, 01/16/2020 - 9:51am

Lois (née Milton) Zimmerman was born in 1923 near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She graduated from high school in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, and earned a BA degree from Lesley College, a teacher training college in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During her time in Cambridge, she met her husband who was training to become a chaplain in the army. Their oldest child Donnie died of polio at age seven; they had four other children. She was a kindergarten teacher for many years, including during the era of school desegregation in Indianapolis, Indiana. She also enjoyed leading outdoor educational programming.

Lois Zimmerman was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor as part of the Legacies Project.

Media

Legacies Project Oral History: Jacqueline Heubel

Wed, 01/15/2020 - 10:10am

Jacqueline Heubel was born in 1930 in Fond du Lac Wisconsin in the midst of the Great Depression. When her father regained his job on the railroad, her family moved to Eagle Grove, Iowa. She attended Iowa State Teacher's College and the University of Minnesota School of Dental Hygiene. After a few years working as a dental hygienist, she returned to teaching. Huebel taught in the Pontiac School District during the Civil Rights Era, and recalls the effects of integration on teachers and students.

Jacqueline Heubel was interviewed by students from Skyline High School in Ann Arbor in 2008 as part of the Legacies Project.