MILFORD, DE -- In 1954, as WBOC-TV prepared to grace small screens across Delmarva for the first time, another boundary shattering event took place in Milford as the school board and brave students attempted to desegregate Milford High School.
On May 17, 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court delivered its historic verdict in the Brown v. Board of Education case, declaring segregation in public schools unconstitutional.
Just four months following this landmark decision, 11 black students, deemed the Milford 11, embarked on a historic journey at Milford High School, beginning the school year alongside their white peers for the first time ever.
"My mother was a teacher when this took place, and she remembers you could hear a pin drop in the staff meeting where it was announced that we're desegregating this year," says Thomas Summers of the Milford Museum.
Local historian Ed Kee recalls the first week of classes going smoothly, until word got around.
"Kids were coming home and saying in the language of the day, 'Hey Dad, there's a colored kid in my gym class, or in my math class, or on the football team or wherever'", says Kee. "Some adults really reacted by the second week that this has to end."
Tension between the community and the Milford School Board began to rise, prompting the school board to close Milford High School.
The situation escalated with the arrival of Bryant Bowles, a white supremacist and founder of the National Association for the Advancement of White People, who vehemently opposed school integration, rallying support from segments of the Milford community.
The State's effort to reopen the school proved futile, and due to concerns for student safety, the 1954 Milford School integration attempt officially failed in October.
However, this setback did not mark the end of the story. The resilience of the Milford 11 laid the groundwork for seven black students to successfully integrate Milford High School eight years later.
Charles Hammond, a member of the Milford 7, reflected, "It was an opportunity for us. Time had changed people's mindsets had changed at that point in time. So therefore, we were able to walk into that school virtually unnoticed."
As WBOC continues its legacy of delivering the latest news to the local community over airwaves for 70 years, the story of Milford High School's desegregation remains a timeless narrative, forging paths of opportunity for future generations.
