OAK RIDGE, Tenn. — On Sept. 6, 1955, a group of 85 Black students in Oak Ridge became the first to desegregate schools in the Southeast. For many years their stories were overlooked, but now the community of Oak Ridge is inviting people to come tour where this history happened.
The Scarboro 85 Monument Committee is holding a bus tour on Saturday, Sept. 7 to take people through the history of the students and what their lives in Oak Ridge looked like. Trina Watson with the committee said she is thrilled to be a part of preserving this history.
"This means to me that the Scarboro 85, they will finally get the recognition that they deserve for achieving such wonderful civil rights history in our country," she said.
The hope for the tour is that more people will learn about the group. It aims to make sure the stories of the Scarboro 85 continue to be shared after years of being in the dark.
The bus tour will run twice during the day, first taking off at 11 a.m. and returning at around 1 p.m. Then, it will leave for another trip at 2 p.m., ending at around 4 p.m. It will cost $20 to take the tour and tour groups meet at the Oak Ridge Senior Center.
A ceremony will also take place, where members of the monument committee will give motivational quotes and unveil a sign marking the future spot of the monument. The ceremony will be at A.K. Bissell Park. For more information, people should call Trina Watson at (859) 475-3141 as she helps organize the event.