We Aren't Dropouts, We Are Lockouts: Victimization and Protest among Teenagers in Prince Edward County, Virginia

Robbed of the right to an education by segregationists determined to “massively resist” court-ordered school integration through abolishing public education altogether, the teenage population of Prince Edward County, Virginia bore the brunt of the nation’s most insidious attempt to circumvent Brown v. Board of Education.  Historians know little about civil rights figures such as these children, protesters and victims in equal part. While many were thoroughly politicized by the experience, becoming either active resistors or thoughtful commentators on American race relations, others were devastated by this massive educational dislocation. Drawing on a remarkable set of fifty-five interviews conducted at the height of the crisis - the summer of 1963 - this paper will explore black youths’ diverse reactions to the situation that confronted them, and the assortment of expectations, experiences, and beliefs that motivated their actions.