Longwood University, in Farmville, Va., has apologized for its inaction during a period known as “massive resistance,” in which some school districts in Virginia closed in protest of federal orders to integrate.
The school district in Prince Edward County, where Longwood is located, closed from 1959 to 1964, and the university’s Board of Visitors voted on Saturday to express “profound regret” for, among other things, failing to stand up for “the inarguable principle of equal protection under the law and educational opportunity for all” during that time.
The College of William & Mary and the University of Virginia have issued similar statements of regret.
Longwood also announced the formation of a new scholarship program to help students “with a demonstrated commitment to the cause of equality of opportunity in education.”
“While many individual members of the Longwood community spoke and acted bravely in support of the inarguable principle of equal protection under the law and educational opportunity for all, as an institution Longwood failed to stand up publicly for these ideals, resulting in support to those who opposed desegregation, and falling short in its duty to provide strong moral leadership in the community,” the resolution states.
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