The Unraveling

The Promise

Nashville Public Radio

Society & Culture

4.9 • 777 Ratings

🗓️ 14 September 2020

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

After 43 years of courtroom battles, Nashville's landmark school desegregation lawsuit was settled. In the eyes of the law, the city finally made an honest effort to racially integrate its schools. But in truth, the matter was far from settled.

For the Kelley family, whose son was the case's named plaintiff, being Black in America meant there were battles and sacrifices at every turn — far beyond education. And for Richard Dinkins, the plaintiffs' lawyer, hope was quickly replaced by dismay as he watched decades of work and progress towards school desegregation begin to unravel.

"The settlement was based on mutual promises," Dinkins said. "The city broke the promise."

In this episode, our story about Nashville's fight for school desegregation continues.

The Promise is written and produced Meribah Knight. Edited by Emily Siner, with additional editing by Anita Bugg, Tony Gonzalez, Samantha Max, Sergio Martinez-Beltran and Damon Mitchell. Fact-checking and research by Sam Zern. Advising for this season by Savala Nolan Trepczynski and Alex Kotlowitz. Mixing by Jakob Lewis of Great Feeling Studios. The music is by Blue Dot Sessions.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Previously on The Promise.
0:05.7	Every weekend, his barbershop windows would always be bricked.
0:16.0	Nashville was a champion of gradualism.
0:21.1	Desegregation has been a history of the line of least resistance.
0:27.3	What is the least integration that you all will take? So when you settled the case, what was that feeling like after 22 years of it?
0:50.3	Well, it was relief. I mean, you know, shoot. But really, I thought, and I think we got the best that this city was going to do for its children. I feel that in my heart.
1:13.1	We got the best that this city was going to do for its children.
1:19.1	It was a relief, but also you were proud of what it ended up as when you walked out of that courtroom.
1:26.2	Yeah, yeah, yeah that courtroom. Yeah. Yeah.
1:28.0	Yeah.
1:29.2	Yeah.
1:38.1	And then what was the first signs that you saw that things might be eroding? Your life was. You're listening to The Promise, a podcast from Nashville Public Radio.
1:52.4	I'm Marraba Knight.
1:54.2	This season on The Promise, we take on one of the most contentious topics in America,
1:59.9	what has been deemed the great equalizer,
2:02.3	but more and more feels like the great divider.
2:06.9	Public education.
2:08.8	In this episode, our story about Nashville's fight for school desegregation continues.
2:15.6	Episode 3.
2:18.9	The Unraveling.
2:31.7	In 1998, after 43 years of courtroom battles, Robert Kelly v. Board of Education is settled.
2:33.3	In the eyes of the law in Nashville has finally made an
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in -1658 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Nashville Public Radio, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Nashville Public Radio and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.