Wedged between fire-snorting South Carolina and adamant Virginia, North Carolina offered a rare chance for school integration to break into the Solid South or to blow off the roof. Last week Negro and white children began attending school together in Greensboro (pop. 87,100), Charlotte (pop. 158,800) and Winston-Salem (pop. 115,800). And, thanks to careful advance planning, a strong governor and purposeful law enforcement, the roof stayed on.
The North Carolina school plan, endorsed by Governor Luther H. (for Hartwell) Hodges was actually designed to minimize integration while appearing to satisfy the Supreme Court's...