Injustice & Integration: Busing in Delaware, 1963-1978
Primary Source Materials Curated from the Special Collections of the University of Delaware Libraries, Museums and Press
Created to mark the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education, this exhibit highlights Delaware’s pivotal role in the landmark court case and the ongoing efforts toward school integration that followed.
Injustice & Integration offers an overview of Delaware’s school desegregation story. It introduces audiences to the Delaware court cases that became part of the Brown v. Board decision, the challenges faced by schools in the immediate aftermath, and the continued pursuit of educational equity up to the present day.
The physical exhibit, on display in the Goldey-Beacom College Library, is presented by Delaware Humanities. The digital exhibit, curated by the Goldey-Beacom College librarian, features materials from the Special Collections of the University of Delaware Libraries, Museums and Press. Together, these exhibits provide a powerful reflection on Delaware’s place in the national movement for educational justice.
Injustice & Integration: Busing in Delaware, 1963-1978
Before Delaware implemented busing and school integration, civil rights leader Littleton P. Mitchell urged Governor Charles Terry to confront the realities of systemic inequality. In a 1966 statement, Mitchell challenged the governor to "visit the ghetto areas of our state and converse with those who are forced to remain there. Listen to their complaints and their suggestions for solutions to problems; see the squalor that surrounds them."
This call to action, published in the Morning News of Wilmington, underscored the deep racial and economic divides that shaped Delaware’s educational landscape. Mitchell’s words framed integration not merely as a logistical issue, but as a matter of justice, dignity, and accountability.
August 1966, Morning News, Wilmington, Delaware
Busing as a solution to the desegregation of schools was a nationwide issue in the 1970s, not just in Wilmington, Delaware.
--The United States Commission on Civil Rights, May 1972, Clearinghouse Publication No. 36
The article, titled "Busing? The Real Issue Is Racial Integration...", discusses how busing—an educational strategy meant to desegregate schools—became a highly politicized and emotionally charged issue during the 1970s. The author critiques the President of the United States for inflaming public fears in an election year, rather than offering leadership on this critical civil rights matter. The piece argues that responsibility for closing the gap between America's ideals and reality lies with educational leaders—school boards, superintendents, and state officials—who are tasked with fostering an integrated, equitable society through public education. The article underscores that busing is not just about transportation but about confronting systemic racial inequality in schools.
--The United States Commission on Civil Rights, May 1972, Clearinghouse Publication No. 36
“(Black) parents are content to have their kids go to school in Wilmington,” Mrs. Graham says. “But they're more than willing to accept busing than white suburban parents.”
This quote, drawn from a 1975 article, captures the racial and geographic tensions that shaped Wilmington’s school desegregation efforts. While many Black families viewed busing as a necessary means to access equal educational opportunities, white suburban communities were often more resistant to the policy.
In response to the challenges of court-ordered desegregation, the Wilmington Educational Research Center was established to study the impact of busing, promote public understanding, and explore alternatives—including homeschooling—as debates over integration continued.
This article offers critical insight into how Delaware communities navigated the broader national struggle for educational equity during the post–Brown v. Board of Education era.
News Journal, March 10, 1975
Smiling start
As court-ordered desegregation was launched yesterday, the sailing was especially smooth for fourth graders John Hopkins (left) and Matthew Souther, who met and became friends at the C. R. Drew Elementary School at Seventh and Lombard streets. John lives in Wilmington and Matthew in Newark. (Staff photo by Fred Comegys)
Source Unknown, September 1978
"But black students at Dickinson say they have fallen victim to special side effects of busing to achieve racial balance."
--Evening Journal, Wilmington, Del, Tuesday, September 9, 1978
50% of pupils stay away from Conrad Junior High School in Wilmington, Delaware. For those students who do decide to go to school New Castle County police watch students begin their day at school as tension at school rise.
Youths arrested at Connrad Junior High in Wilmington, Delaware by New Castle County Police related to incidents and rising racial tensions in 1978.
State-mandated busing to Newark High School was in 1978. The Dickerson siblings have nothing to report--"Everybody is getting along."
Radios are installed on buses so bus drivers can call for help if violence erupts on the buses on the way William Penn High School in the suburbs of Wilmington, Delaware, but the radios haven't arrived.
Sunday News Journal, Wilmington, Del., September 17, 1978
At Newark High School, one student reported, "he felt kind of shaky until he got there."
The Evening Bulletin, Wilmington, Delaware, September 12, 1978
Continued....
While fears of violence with police stationed at Conrad Junior High School increase, others report "quesy stomachs calm down."
The Evening Bulletin, Wilmington, Delaware, September 12, 1978
A week after busing started in September 1978, a news clipping shared nine views of desegregation.
Sunday News Journal, September 17, 1978
This 1978 opinion piece by H.R.A. Pinkett offers a rare voice of public praise amid the often contentious debate over school busing in Delaware. Drawing on personal experience and legal history, Pinkett advocates for busing not just as a logistical solution, but as a moral imperative aligned with constitutional values. His letter provides critical insight into local support for desegregation efforts and underscores the importance of civic education, reflection, and leadership in times of social change.
The Morning News, Wilmington, Del. Monday, September 18, 1978
"Had it not been for busing, dual school systems and segregation could never have occurred."
Source Unknown
This letter, dated August 3, 1963, captures a pivotal moment in Delaware’s civil rights history. In it, attorney Louis L. Redding—a key figure in the legal fight against segregation—and Littleton P. Mitchell, then-President of the Delaware State Conference of NAACP Branches, respond to proposed legislation in the General Assembly concerning the consolidation of school districts.
The proposed measure sought to merge smaller, predominantly Black school districts with larger, predominantly white ones—an action that struck at the heart of structural educational inequality. The correspondence illustrates the NAACP’s active role in pushing for systemic change and Redding’s unwavering advocacy for equal access to public education.
Correspondence, August 3, 1963
This article showcases Louis L. Redding’s leadership in Delaware’s civil rights movement, particularly in education. As a key architect of legal challenges to school segregation, Redding’s commentary and legal advocacy in the 1970s helped shape public discourse around busing and integration. His work underscores the moral and constitutional imperatives behind efforts to ensure equal access to quality education for all children in Delaware.
The Evening Bulletin, September 17, 1978