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And yet there is a group of people in the county who still pay for those gains. African Americans whose education was interrupted by the school closings are called Prince Edward's "crippled generation." Many never returned to school, and those who did often found their dreams derailed by the lost time. As secretary at the county's high school, Moseley, 57, often visits the guidance office to use the computers and chat with students. "That's where I would have liked to have been," she says, gesturing at the counselor's desk.
But Moseley and her husband, who also missed years of school, were pleased with the education their two children got in Prince Edward's integrated system, and were able to send them to college. One now works for a pharmaceutical company, and the other is pursuing a real estate license. Last spring, with about 400 other graying graduates, both the elder Moseleys crossed the stage of the Prince Edward High School auditorium to receive honorary diplomas. Rita Moseley recently testified in the state legislature on a bill that would give scholarships to African Americans who missed school during the closings. With the money, she would like to take some college courses and then write a book about what happened in Prince Edward County after Brown. The ending will be bittersweet. --R.W.