Desegregation of the Hoxie Public Schools began in the small Northeastern Arkansas town of Hoxie on July 11, 1955, when at least 25 colored students attended the former segregated campus for the first time. Hoxie's story is an inspirational story about how an all-white school board in a small town in Arkansas, following the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court ruling, felt it was important to
proceed with desegregation noting three key reasons: to obey the law, to save taxpayer money, and because it was right in the sight of God. Faced with opposition and outside agitators who threatened school administrators and some of the students' families, all five school board members stood firm. The events led to a court battle which was ultimately won by the Hoxie School Board in federal court after a reluctant U.S. Hoxie: The First Stand, Inc. exists to share true stories of courageous leadership, personal accountability and collective respect for the rule of law exemplified during the school district's desegregation in 1955. Archives reveal the history of a non-violent, voluntary and successful integration process accomplished in the face of determined resistance and the exemplary actions of those who encouraged sensible and "morally right" responses during a tumultuous time in Arkansas and American history. Programs for families, school groups, educators and scholars emphasize the timeless value of shared commitment to justice and democratic decision-making that is the bedrock of courageous citizenship. Hoxie The First Stand, Inc. currently owns a building near the Hoxie School campus with plans to convert it into a museum and education center, designed by Cromwell Architects Engineers out of Little Rock. Please join us on this journey to establishing a permanent home for telling the Hoxie story.
