Raleigh's first public school integration effort

In the summer of 1956, Elwyna Haywood Holt, on behalf of her family, applied to have her son Joseph H. Holt, Jr. enrolled in an all-white school in Raleigh, NC--Josephus Daniels Middle.  When moves by the local school board thwarted this effort, the Holt family persisted by applying the following year to Needham Broughton High.  What ensued was a 3-year court battle and years of harassment, hardship, and threats to their lives.  The battle ended with a US Supreme Court ruling that essentially said the Holt family had not followed all administrative procedures to gain approval for admission—even though segregated schools had already been outlawed in 1954.  A few months following the final decision, William Campbell (formerly the mayor of Atlanta) was admitted to Murphy Elementary and gained notoriety as the first to integrate the schools.  The Holt family, however, bears the distinction as Raleigh's first family to challenge segregation in Raleigh public schools.  Their courageous story is recounted in a compelling 37-minute award-winning documentary entitled "Exhausted Remedies:  Joe Holt's Story," written and produced by Deborah L. Holt.   This documentary contains personal interviews with Joseph H. Holt, Sr., Joseph H. Holt, Jr., key Raleigh community leaders, and North Carolina historians.   

To view the documentary "Exhausted Remedies:  Joe Holt's Story," click on this link.  http://www.unctv.org/webcast/history/exhausted_remedies.html