School Desegregation in Richmoad: A Case History

The story of judicially administered school desegregation in Richmond is the story of Bradley v. School Board of the City of Richmond. It began modestly with a district court decree which granted the individual claims of ten named plaintiffs but denied injunctive relief to the class. Eleven years later it approached landmark status, with a district court decree directing consolidation of the Richmond schools with those of surrounding Henrico and Chesterfield counties. However, the landmark was not to be.

The Fourth Circuit reversed the district court's decree, and an evenly divided Supreme Court affirmed by default. Richmond was left in the unenviable position of attempting to eradicate all vestiges of a formerly dual school system in a school district which is now 78% black.