A marker for St. Anne's

State marker commemorates St. Anne's as first school to integrate in South Carolina.

New generations may not fully appreciate how contentious the issue of school integration was at the beginning of the civil rights movement or the courage and vision it took to allow black and white children to sit in the same classrooms at Rock Hill's St. Anne's Parochial School.

In 1954, the same year the Supreme Court ruled that segregation was unconstitutional, St. Anne's opened its doors to five black children from the predominantly black St. Mary's Church nearby. In so doing, it became the first school in the state to integrate.

It was not just the first but also the only school in the state for nearly a decade to allow black and white students to attend together. That bold act of conscience and faith was celebrated Monday with the installation of a state historical marker at the school's previous location at 648 Jones Ave.

The school integrated quietly, and children who attended St. Anne's at the time say today that they felt insulated and protected within its walls. But the outside world occasionally intruded, with students harassed and their parents ostracized. Once, a cross was burned on school grounds.

But the experience also shaped and, in many cases, enriched the lives of all those involved, students and faculty alike. And now, having endured the challenge, most are grateful to have played a role in the birth of a movement that irrevocably changed the nation.

The state plaque is well earned. We hope it continues to remind those who view it of both the progress made and the challenges that still lie ahead.