In February, Columbus Municipal School District will celebrate a milestone in public education — the 200th anniversary of Franklin Academy, the state’s first public school.
The city of Columbus has long taken pride in its status as the birthplace of public education in the state.
But the city’s historic connection to public education does not end there.
On Wednesday, CMSD will honor another milestone anniversary in public education, one that’s importance is no less meaningful than that of Franklin, yet far less recognized.
In November 1865, the Freedmen’s Bureau opened a school in an old warehouse on the city’s Southside, one of more than 1,000 schools opened across the post-Civil War South that provided to Black children what Franklin Academy provided to white children.
That school would become known as Union Academy, now located on 10th Avenue North.
Wednesday’s events will feature an invitation-only ceremony to unveil a monument near the school’s entrance at noon and a special program in the school auditorium at 6 p.m. Both of those invitation-only events will be available for viewing on the district’s website and Facebook page.
From 1-6, the school will be open to visitors where they can view historical artifacts and other displays from the school’s 155-year history and pose for photos next to a plaque telling the story of Union Academy.
“This is a great time to celebrate the history of education in our community, both Black and white, at Franklin Academy and Union Academy,” CMSD Superintendent Cherie Labat said. “These are not segregated celebrations. They are an understanding of our past and an inspiration for us as we move forward.”
Among the special attractions Wednesday will be a portrayal of William Isaac Mitchell, who became the school’s first principal in 1878 (the school had previously been operated by white Methodist missionaries). Mitchell’s arrival came as Reconstruction ended and the rights of Black citizens in the South quickly eroded, not the least of which was access to education. Mitchell’s leadership as Union Academy principal until his death in 1916 sustained Black education in the city through those precarious years.
A link to history
As dramatic as the story of Union Academy is, it is not widely known or appreciated, not even in the Black community and, in fact, not always among even direct descendants of William Isaac Mitchell.
Telisa Young and her younger brother, TyShun Hargrove, grew up in East Columbus and never attended Union Academy, which by that time was an elementary school serving first through sixth grades. Yet they had a unique connection to the school. William Isaac Mitchell is their great-great-great uncle.
Young, who now serves as member of the CMSD Board of Trustees, didn’t learn of her family connection until her father gave her a book about the history of Lowndes County when she was in college, which she called a life-altering experience. Hargrove, 12 years younger than his sister, remembers his father driving past Union Academy when he was a young boy.
“Dad would point to the school and tell me about our family’s link, but it didn’t make much of an impression on me then,” Hargrove said. “It was only later that I realized the full significance of it, what it means historically and what it meant in our family.”
For both Young and Hargove, the legacy provided them through the work of Mitchell was education.
Hargrove, 36, has a Ph.D. in industrial systems engineering. Hargrove, 48, is finishing work on her own Ph.D. in instructional technology and workforce training. She currently works for the Social Security Administration.
“In (Mitchell’s) time, having a school where Black children were educated and taught was huge,” Hargrove said. “You might be tempted to take that for granted now, but at that time, having the opportunity to go to school wasn’t certain. I think our family, because of our history, understood the importance of and education. I think that was a message that trickled down through our history.”
Young said that family history has always served as an inspiration.
“It’s important to know whose shoulders you stand on, what their struggles were,” Young said. “But it’s even more important to understand why they did it. It was to have a better life and to help ensure the future generations of children had better lives. That inspires me so much. It’s why I’m back in school now, to put myself in a position where I can help others achieve the things you can achieve through education.”
From student to staff
Telika Weatherspoon and Hattie Reed don’t have the family connections to Union that Young and Hargrove have, but their history with the school is not insignificant.
Weatherspoon, 41, arrived at Union Academy as a second-grader. Her family had just moved to the neighborhood from Noxubee County.
“I was scared and didn’t know any of the other children,” she said. “But on that first day, my teacher, Mrs. Estelle Smith, took me under her wings. She found me a friend that first day and always watched over her. From that time on, I loved Union. It still means so much to me.”
Now, almost 30 years later, Weatherspoon remains a part of the school district as an administrative assistant at Columbus High School, one of about a dozen former Union Academy students who work for the district.
That number includes Reed, who serves as the food service manager at Union, which is now the district’s alternative school. Fifty years ago, Reed, now 60, was a student at Union Academy.
“I didn’t know the history of the school and all that until much later,” Reed said. “What I did know back then was that I absolutely loved my school and that was because of the teachers. I went to Union first grade through sixth grade, and every teacher I had was just special. It was a neighborhood school back then, and the teachers were part of the neighborhood, too. They loved us and cared for us like they were our own parents.”
A continuing legacy
Labat said Wednesday’s celebration at Union Academy, as well as the upcoming Franklin Academy celebration, come at a perfect time.
“These are celebrations of equality and unity,” Labat said. “It’s been a trying year in so many respects with what’s happened in the areas of social justice. Right here in our own community, with one of our graduates (Kylin Hill) showing leadership, we are making so much progress. We are unified in doing what’s right and we’re seeing the power of working together, Black and white. It’s amazing what can happen for the benefit of all. We know that division is not sustainable.
“So we’re not just celebrating the past with these events, we are also looking at the great things ahead,” she added. “That history points us to the future.”
Slim Smith is a columnist and feature writer for The Dispatch. His email address is [email protected].
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