The desegregation of the Port Arthur Independent School District (Texas)

The 1954 Brown v. Board of Education ruling by the United States Supreme Court was a major turning point in American education. Although the landmark decision abolished segregation in public schools, the implementation proved to be a long and arduous process. Like thousands of school districts across the country, the Port Arthur Independent School District in Texas did not immediately implement the Court's decision. It was over a decade after the ruling that a lawsuit forced school officials to accelerate the desegregation process. For years members of the community battled with the school board over the best way to end segregation. Finally, the district is now in a position to eliminate all vestiges of its former dual school system.