Melbourne McNealty recalls integration in Amite, Louisiana

Image: Peter Pettus/Library of Congress,
Washington, D.C. (LC-DIG-ppmsca-08102)

There was a time when Melbourne McNealty recalls going shopping with her sister to some local stores in Amite,  Louisiana. Black children was banned from entering the store. She entered the store and man kept telling the lady that I could stay at the grocery store in town if I wanted to. There were some blacks who were treated with respect, while there were others who were not. As she recalled, there was a drug store with a "Nigger" window that she remember seeing.  Having been told by the lady to go around to the window,  Mel was told to go inside by her grandfather. In my grandfather's words, he told her to step into the store.  She was going to listen to my grandfather.

When she was in fourth grade, Tangipahoa Parish integrated its school. It was quite a challenges for me to transition from an all black school to Amite Elementary. Some teachers treated us horribly. For example, when they asked us for school supplies that we couldn't afford. There response were, you will never amount to anything anyway so don't worry about the supplies. Without a doubt, we knew they were wrong about us. Once, she heard one of my white teachers call my daddy a porch monkey because he was black. As soon as Melbourne got home from school, Melbourne ran straight to my mother and told her what happened. Her mother went to school the following day to address the matter. Black students in Amite has a hard time adjusting to the new situation said Mel.

Before integration, I rode Mr. Dudley's bus, and after integration, I rode Martin's bus. He was a mean man with an amputated leg. It was not uncommon for him to leave us at the bus stop on some mornings. When my brother told him not to hit him on the bus, he kicked him off the bus.  When Martin took off his leg, he swung it around like he wanted to strike someone with it. In spite of the fact that he never struck anyone with it. Tangipahoa Parish School Board did not take any action after my mother reported him. After reporting the issue without receiving any results, my mother decided to deal with it herself.

Melbourne McNealty

I asked Mel if she ever talked about her experience with anyone. She told me no because she was told by a white teacher that no one would believe her. All these years, she kept it a secret. Mel told me she had never discussed her experience with anyone.  Her secret remained a secret for all these years.  One of my teachers called me a nigger, Mel said.  My auntie immediately told me she would handle it once I told he.  I didn't tell my mother about it.

The school received complaints from black parents regarding their children's mistreatment.  The treatment we received was like being treated like poor dirt.  In 1969-1970, I was also a part of the integration system during the same time period as Melbourne. I asked her why she wanted to talk about it now. In some ways, it is releasing Melbourne. We were never asked about our experiences during that time. The opportunity to share my experience right now has been on my mind for a long time.

What was the names of the Ruby Bridges who lived in Amite, Louisiana? Do you think there is a reason why these stories and experiences are not being recorded? Black students who participated in the integration process have remained imprinted with memories of integration for decades. Can anyone identify the Ruby Bridges of the schools in Amite, Louisiana? Recording these experiences and stories would be highly beneficial.  Former black students who participated in integration often kept their memories buried for decades.  

The foundation of our pain is never considered during integration as children. Scars and memories remain. Things can't be changed, we can only learn to cope with them. Like many black students during that era and time, I wish to heal the scars caused by integration. There was no written or oral documentation of our experiences here. Tangipahoa Parish was no different from any other parish or county in the deep south.