Racism
A Song Unsung
A tale of small-town excellence and racism
Before integrating in 1971, Merrill Junior High School was one of the Pine Bluff, Arkansas area’s four segregated high schools for Black students. Midway through that school year, my family relocated from Little Rock to Pine Bluff.
When I arrived at Merrill, its students were still acclimating to integration. Black and white students were going through the growing pains associated with occupying the same educational space. The previous semester marked my first experience attending a desegregated school, so I was also apprehensive about this new experience.
My mother insisted on my involvement in the school’s extracurricular activities. Since the football team had little interest in nearsighted asthmatics, we settled on the school’s choir as the most viable option. I could carry a tune, plus the best-looking girls seemed to gravitate to the choral department, so I offered little resistance.
Toward the end of my time at Merrill, the choral director encouraged me to try out for the Pine Bluff High School A Cappella Choir. I took his advice. A few days after my tryout, I learned I’d landed a spot in the tenor section. I was also invited to join a smaller choral group called the Pine Bluff Singers.
