Mr. Ford with Fourth and Fifth Grade Class (color version)

For most of a century, only African-American students attended school in Lakeland. In 1956, two years after the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated schools were unconstitutional, the Prince George’s County Board of Education enacted a plan to impede the integration of schools. The first white students did not attend Lakeland Elementary School until the late 1960s. They were few in number. The board of education resisted desegregation for decades, despite the struggle by Lakeland residents and others for integrated schools and public facilities. Nevertheless, desegregation progressed intermittently until court-ordered programs began in 1973. Pictured in this photograph taken during the 1966-67 school year is Lakeland Elementary School’s fourth and fifth grade class with Mr. Ford.

Date

1965