There Went The Neighborhood - Audio Interview: Mary Hinton-Branner
Mary Hinton-Branner attended Jones School in the 1950s, from kindergarten through sixth grade. She remembers going to the Dunbar Community Center and playing in the neighborhood with her eleven siblings. She recalls how the rise in public housing led to the gentrification of “The Old Neighborhood.”
More interviews are available in the There Went The Neighborhood Interview Archive.
There Went The Neighborhood - Studio Interview: Joetta Mial
Joetta Mial moved to Ann Arbor in the 1950s with her husband Harry Mial, who was the first Black teacher at Jones school from 1954 to 1957. Dr. Mial also pursued a career in teaching and became principal of Huron High School. She recalls conversations that were happening in the community about school desegregation.
This interview was filmed during the making of the documentary film There Went The Neighborhood: The Closing of Jones School, produced by the Ann Arbor District Library and 7 Cylinders Studio. More interviews are available in the There Went The Neighborhood Interview Archive.
There Went The Neighborhood - State Theatre Interview: Mary Hinton-Jones
Mary Hinton Jones was interviewed after a preliminary screening of the documentary film There Went The Neighborhood: The Closing of Jones School at the State Theatre on April 16, 2023. She shares memories of Jones School and the surrounding neighborhood, including why many Black homeowners moved away.
More interviews are available in the There Went The Neighborhood Interview Archive.
There's History In Names Of Ann Arbor Schools

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There Went The Neighborhood - Audio Interview: Donald Simons
Donald Simons grew up on Fuller Street and attended Jones School as an elementary student in the 1950s. He recalls being encouraged by his sixth grade teacher Harry Mial and coach Andy Anderson. Mr. Simons went on to teach physical education.
More interviews are available in the There Went The Neighborhood Interview Archive.
Angell Student Move Approved

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Moving Angell Students Proposed

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School Hiring Circumvents Law

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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.
Connie Craft: Community High Dean Decides To Move On

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