(2 of 2)
The teachers tackled the job for reasons ranging from one Negro's "rage" to a white woman's question: "Am I merely going to say nice phrases, or am I going to commit myself?" The volunteers live with Negro families, avoid white restaurants, swim at the "Negro" lake in nearby Virginia State Forest. Icy indifference is the white reaction. "We don't approve of white girls associating with Negro men," says one of Farmville's politer segregationists, who suspects that the teachers want publicity.
What happens to the kids when the teachers leave? The hope is that "reading is never lost," that pride in learning will last. The kids will be at least used to regular schooling—when it returns.