Posted Date: July 2, 2008
First Baptist Church To Hold 50th Anniversary Ceremony For Norfolk 17
By Leonard E. Colvin
Chief Reporter
New Journal & Guide
Norfolk is planning a series of events next year to observe the end of the city’s effort to defy the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 decision, which outlawed segregated schools.
Norfolk City Mayor Paul Fraim has appointed a committee to coordinate various events which will focus on Feb. 2, 2009, the day, 50 years ago when the schools reopened after the fall semester of 1958. Norfolk’s all-white schools were closed when the court ordered the city to admit 17 black students.
Ahead of all of the events will be a special observance on July 6, at the historic First Baptist Church on Bute Street honoring those pioneering students, known as the Norfolk 17.
At least 14 of the Norfolk 17 are expected to be on hand to be honored during the church’s regular Sunday morning service. It is also the church’s annual anniversary. First Baptist is 208 years old. It is the oldest Baptist church in Hampton Roads.
While this special event is designed to recognize the historic contributions and sacrifices of the Norfolk 17, organizers of the event say that the church’s role should be noted as well.
When the city closed its all-white schools, to block the Norfolk 17 from desegregating them, the 17 black students had no school to attend since they had been cleared for admission to one of the all-white schools.
Studying the desegregation test case in Little Rock, Ark., Norfolk Attorney and First Baptist Church member Hugo Madison, and the NAACP organized a school for the Norfolk 17 at First Baptist Bute Street.
In addition to fine-tuning the 17 students’ academic skills, teachers also discussed the stereotypes and hostilities they might face. Lessons on how to handle outright threats to their person and how to retain emotional control were provided too.
As it was 50 years, that portion of First Baptist Church where the Norfolk 17 attended class still serves as the Sunday School Education Hall.
Lula Sears Rogers, the chair of First Baptist’s ministry of church history and archives, has helped a committee organize a small display of pictures and other memorabilia, recalling that period in 1958.
Rogers said she and other anniversary committee members have been working tirelessly; piecing together the events which will take place July 6, since the Rev. Robert Murray, the church’s senior pastor appointed them.
The hardest part, she said, was locating the remaining Norfolk 17.
“This is not a celebration. This is an effort to honor those 17 students and what they sacrificed and experienced 50 years ago,” said Rogers, who was a senior attending Booker T. Washington High School during the 58-59 school year.
“We are doing this to honor these heroes for their bravery 50 years ago. This program is designed to educate the current generation, to alert them about the people who paved their way into Maury and Norview High Schools today.”
Murray echoed Rogers’ sentiments.“First, we want to thank God for the sacrifices of the Norfolk 17 during a time of massive resistance against their being able and certified to receive an education.”
“Second, this is to encourage current generations to pursue education despite the challenges they may encounter in their lives. And third, to recognize First Baptist’s role when it opened its doors and added an honorable chapter to its 208-year history 50 years ago.”
Rogers said very few memories exist from those days in the Sunday school hall which once served as the school for the Norfolk 17. A few of the teachers still live in the area.
The hall now has a shiny tiled floor and wood paneling.
There are still three small rooms in the main hall where classes were held, she explained. The text books, blackboards and chairs are long gone.
There are three cubicles on the opposite side of the hall, where students studied alone or in small groups with adults.
The July 6 ceremony will include a reception. A replica of one of the classrooms will be on display.
“When they enter this Sunday School Hall, that day we want to remind everyone of the Norfolk 17 of that time,” Rogers said. “We also want to give others a view of 50 years ago. A lot of history has passed. We hope that people can garner a lot from what we have planned.”
Andrew Heidelberg, 64, was 14 when he became one of the Norfolk 17. He entered Norview High School on Feb. 2, 1959, after a semester of rigorous preparation at the church school.
“Looking back I am impressed with the way the church stepped up to the plate and played a role,” said Heidelberg. “That was the best place to have the school. The teachers were serious. They challenged us to be prepared for the challenges that would come once we entered those schools. The day I entered Norview, I was ready. I don’t think anyone could have challenged me academically or personally.”
Heidelberg is perhaps one of the more vocal members of the Norfolk 17, having shared his views and experiences in a book, The Norfolk 17: A Personal Narrative on Desegregation in Norfolk 1958-1959.
“I want people to know the truth about what took place,” Heidelberg said. “A lot of the history from that time is written from the white community’s perspective…. not from the black community. I have tried to reveal, through my eyes what happened half a century ago.”
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