The Desegregation of the Pulaski County Special School District, 1954-1982

The desegregation of Southern schools is usually characterized as a violent and forcibly opposed process. While this characterization is certainly accurate for several well-known events, such as Little Rock in 1957 and New Orleans in 1960, for the vast majority of school districts this was not the case. School desegregation in most districts, while still contentious, never witnessed the levels of violence and turmoil that were seen in the more famous episodes of school desegregation. The desegregation of the Pulaski County Special School District, one of the largest districts in Arkansas, is in several respects more representative of what most school districts experienced. By studying the integration of school districts that did not experience some tumultuous episode, a more accurate and expanded understanding of school desegregation is achieved.