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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]No, 22:49.  Except for GDS, which was founded in the mid-40s by Black and Jewish families who were not being admitted at other privates, other schools did not begin admitting African Americans until after [i]Brown v Board of Education[/i] was decided.  Sidwell admitted their lone AA student in 1956.  For reference: Thus it was not until January 1956, after several years of debate, that the Board of Trustees adopted a policy of "one-grade-a-year integration of admissions and to open the kindergarten to qualified Negro applicants in the fall of 1956."

My posting here is not a slam about Sidwell as this applies to other independents (but the info was most readily available for Sidwell), but against the notion that DC independents have been "educating kids of all races and religions for decades."  Integration in these schools came after [i]Brown v Board[/i] was decided and did not necessarily occur swiftly.  The latter probably did not occur until the late '60s/early '70s.  If we use that as the standard, then DC independents have been at this for about 45 years.  Yes, decades, but not even a half century if you mark it from when there was genuine expansion and inclusion. Anything that occurred in my lifetime still seems like a drop on the arc of the history of this country.  [/quote]

45 or 50 years?  No real difference.  I attended 2 of the top independent schools around here in the 1970s.   At both schools, AAs were well represented and were very much part of the social fabric.  I do not recall any issues, though I certainly would not say that none occurred.   The point can be said again.  The independent schools around here have been educating AAs for decades, and no AA should hesitate to apply to whatever school he or she wishes.  The PP also misses the broader point implied by other posters here.  DC is no longer a black/white town.  It is much more a mix of everything.  And that is good, unless one is stuck in the black/white world.  [/quote]

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