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Lake City, Florida: A Sesquicentennial Tribute (2009) H. Morris Williams, Dr. Kevin M. McCarthy
Chapter Sixteen: 1960 - 1969
The trophy case at the former Richardson High School
has mementoes and trophies of great victories.
According to Prof. Keuchel’s excellent history of Columbia
County, the county schools operated on a “freedom of choice” basis
in the late 1960s, which meant that black students could go to formerly
all-white schools if those schools had space and if the students could
arrange their own transportation. The result was that only a few
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black students chose to change schools, for example Robert Allen,
Reginald Evans, and Melissa Williams.
It would not be until 1970 that a judge ordered Columbia
County to fully integrate its public schools. Although even some black
parents objected to closing Richardson High School, the integration
of the schools took place without major incident, which was a tribute
to the citizens of Columbia County.
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