School Desegregation Controversy

In 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Because of residential segregation and resistance to Brown, Richmond-area schools were still largely segregated in 1970. The Richmond School Board and black plaintiffs sued for a merger with the school systems of predominantly white Henrico and Chesterfield Counties. Federal judge Robert Merhige Jr. ordered this consolidation in Jan. 1972, prompting a campaign of opposition from many county residents. Merhige’s ruling was overturned on appeal. A 4-4 decision in the Supreme Court in May 1973 affirmed the appeals court and ended plans for the regional merger.