Southern Regional Council Appalachian Desegregation Survey Records

Collection — Container: 1

Identifier: BCA 0055 SAA 055

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The collection is comprised of correspondence, notes, and reports relating to a 1954 attitudes survey conducted by Berea College economics professor Robert G. Menefee, in which he explored the impact of the Supreme Court's Brown decision outlawing racial segregation in the nation's schools.

Dates

created: 1953-1954

Creator

Menefee, Robert. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

Records can be accessed through the Reading Room, Berea College Special Collections and Archives, Hutchins Library, Berea College.

Conditions Governing Use

There are no known restrictions other than federal copyright regulations. Please cite information.

Extent

0.20 Linear Feet

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

In 1954 the Southern Regional Council (SRC) contacted Berea College professor of sociology Roscoe Giffin proposing that he survey attitudes in southern Appalachia about the U. S. Supreme Court's recent desegregation decision, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas. Giffin declined; however, he recommended a Berea colleague in the Economics and Business department, Robert Menefee for the work. Giffin's recommendation was accepted, and Menefee was invited to work for the SRC for two months (between July 12 and September 12, 1954). Travelling in the mountain regions of North Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia, Menefee interviewed a total of 218 people in 29 Appalachian counties about public school desegregation. Menefee submitted his report in October, 1954. The report was immediately accepted and comprised the October 1954 (Vol. 9, No. 10) issue of the SCR’s New South entitled "The Supreme Court Decision and the Appalachian South."