WALNUT COVE, N.C. — People in a North Carolina community are working to keep a historic school open.
In August, school officials in Stokes County held a school board meeting and discussed closing London Elementary School. It’s the only historically Black school in Walnut Cove.
What You Need To Know
- School officials discuss closing London Elementary School
- The school is the only historically Black school in Walnut Cove
- Marvin Dalton Jr. attended the school and protested in 1968, when the school was last scheduled to close
The last time it was scheduled to close was in 1968, but students led a peaceful protest through the town, which ended up integrating businesses and keeping the school open.
London Elementary School in Walnut Cove (Soul Ash Pictures)
Marvin Dalton Jr. was a part of leading the protest.
“We had a march downtown in ’67, the year I graduated,” Dalton said. “It was predominantly Black there at that time.”
People who are from the area, like Dalton, say that the monumental point in history could be in jeopardy.
“This needs to be preserved because the school board says emphatically that they’re not gonna teach critical race theory,” Dalton said. “And they want to whitewash the history of Black kids.”
We reached out to Stokes County Schools for a response to the potential closing. School officials said once a decision is made, they are committed to providing a quality education in a safe and nurturing environment.