Spring 2021-“I was born in jail and I’m still in jail” The Asheville High School Walkout of 1969

In 1969 black students organized the walkout at Asheville High School to protest mistreatment at the hands of school officials at the newly desegregated Asheville High School. The students who participated in the walkout were fueled by a sense of dignity and self-respect that was nurtured in black neighborhoods and schools.

This talk will focus on the meaning of this event and also examine how the walkout at Asheville high school has endured in popular memory.