Girard College Rally Day

Girard College Rally Day, originally uploaded by ujima.

On February 17:
1870 Congress passed a resolution readmitting Mississippi on the condition that it would
never change its constitution to disenfranchise Blacks.
1891 A. C. Richardson invented the churn, patent #466,470
1919 Marian Anderson was entered in the New York Philharmonic Competition at age
17 by her music teacher, and placed first over 299 other singers.

Financeer Stephen Girard left *$6.000,000* in his will for the education of poor, white
male orphans. The private boarding school on 43 acres was opened in 1843. He limited
his bequest to white boys because he said that "quality of education would suffer if
sons of slaves were mixed with sons of whites".The City of Brotherly Love accepted the
money and the state of Pennsylvania ran the school.
The exclusion of Blacks was fought in the courts for many years. These pictures show
one of the marches I participated in during the 60s. The late, great Cecil B, Moore, a
lawyer who was also president of the NAACP spearheaded the protests. At this rally,
Billy Paul ("Me and Mrs. Jones") spoke and lead the singing.
Admission for needy Black boys was finally accomplished in May 1968.
Today Girard College,Grades K-12, has 741 students--boys *and* girls evenly-- 89%
of whom are African American.
The people united will never be defeated.