Clinton Middle Historical Marker

To any and all potential supporters: 

A few years ago, my wife, Amanda, and I put together a novel study of Mildred D. Taylor's "Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry" as part of a larger unit over the transition from the Jim Crow Era American South into the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. 

When Amanda moved into a new position, I kept the project alive and, with the help of my 7th grade ELA colleagues here at Clinton Middle School, expanded it to include a history of the City of Clinton, Tennessee, and its vital role as a harbinger of change at the beginning of Civil Rights and school desegregation. 

How many of you (outside of Clinton) know that in August of 1956, Clinton High School became the first school in the Southeast to integrate, allowing, under the ruling of a Knoxville judge, twelve young Black men and women (now known as "The Clinton 12") to take high school classes in their hometown for the first time? 

How many of you know about the subsequent protests and riots led by white supremacists from across the country?

How many of you know that, two years later, this vicious racism and intolerance led to an explosion that rattled the town one Sunday morning, a bombing of Clinton High School? 

I grew up in Clinton. I work in the building (now Clinton Middle School) where those twelve brave students entered. My classroom sits near the location where one of the bombs went off. 

Our students go to school in a seriously historic place, yet most of the country has no knowledge of these events.

My wife and I, a few years ago, visited The National Civil Rights Museum At the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. There is not a single mention of Clinton in the entire exhibit. 

We seek to change that. 

Last year, my wife and I worked together to create an "Honors Project" with my Advanced ELA class to research, write, and submit a proposal for a Historical Marker from the Tennessee Historical Commission to be placed in front of this historic building. 

We were successful. 

But these markers are not free. 

Now, we need your help to pay for the marker and the unveiling ceremony to be held on August 27, 2015, the 59th anniversary of The Clinton Twelve's historic walk down the hill onto Broad Street. 

May this also serve as an invitation for you to join us on that date in celebration and commemoration of the importance of our town and its bravery in a dark time for our country. 

Any little bit helps and can actually go a long way. And this is only the beginning. This year's Advanced ELA classes are already working on the next step. 

Sincerely, 

Kevin Powers
7th Grade English Language Arts
Clinton Middle School

Amanda Powers
Academic Coach
Clinton Middle School