CLINTON, Tenn. (WVLT) - Students across Tennessee won’t find the story of Scarboro 85 in any textbook they open today, but multiple school districts in East Tennessee are trying to change that.
In 1955, a group of 85 black students in the Scarboro neighborhood of Oak Ridge integrated into Oak Ridge High School for the first time and have now been known as the Scarboro 85.
At just 14 years old, Larry Gipson was one of those 85 brave students who for years never felt like they belonged and weren’t treated fairly by classmates and students.
“Not all, but the majority of the white students did not want us there,” said Gipson.
As one of the few remaining members of the Scarboro 85, Gispon feels he has a responsibility to share the story of what he and his classmates experienced as he’s pushing for more people to learn about what happened nearly 70 years ago.
“What really troubles me is the fact that what my classmates and I did it took more than 65 years for it to come to light for what we did,” said Gipson who said he still meets people who said they aren’t aware of the Scarboro 85.
While Gispon’s story isn’t in textbooks, some East Tennessee school districts are pushing for that to change.
In February Oak Ridge City Schools passed a resolution to formally ask the state to include the Scarboro 85 story in social studies textbooks across the state. Thursday night, Anderson County Schools joined and unanimously approved plans to make an official request.
“The Scarboro 85 is a part of our history,” said the Director of Schools Dr. Tim Parrott.
The state will convene this fall to discuss what will be added or taken out of textbooks across the state.
If Scarboro 85 is included and added, it would likely be seen in textbooks for the 2024-2025 school year according to Parrott.
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