Ralph Bunche High School
Encyclopedia
Ralph Bunche High School was a school constructed in 1949 as a result of Civil Action 631 to provide "separate but equal
" education for African-American students in King George County, Virginia
. The school operated until 1968 when King George High School
was completed and the county's schools integrated. The school was named for Ralph Bunche
, an African-American educator, diplomat and Nobel Prize
winner.
The building continued to be used for various school uses until 1998, including at times as an elementary school, for several specialized programs, including secondary and pre-school, and for School Board administrative offices and some School Board meetings. Ralphe Bunche High School alumni formed a preservation committee in 1998 after plans to demolish the building were discussed. In August of that year, the King George County School Board approved a resolution to preserve the building allowing it to be registered as a historical site. In May, 2007 the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association unveiled a commemorative plaque to be placed on the building.
Currently the building is used by the King George Sheriff's office for storage. The building is currently on the National Register of Historic Places
.
Separate but equal
Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified systems of segregation. Under this doctrine, services, facilities and public accommodations were allowed to be separated by race, on the condition that the quality of each group's public facilities was to...
" education for African-American students in King George County, Virginia
King George County, Virginia
As of the census of 2010, there were 23,584 people, 9,411 households, and 4,525 families residing in the county. The population density was 93 people per square mile . There were 6,820 housing units at an average density of 38 per square mile...
. The school operated until 1968 when King George High School
King George High School
King George High School is a high school in King George County, Virginia. It is and has been the only high school in the county since 1968 when the county's schools were integrated and Ralph Bunche High School was closed...
was completed and the county's schools integrated. The school was named for Ralph Bunche
Ralph Bunche
Ralph Johnson Bunche or 1904December 9, 1971) was an American political scientist and diplomat who received the 1950 Nobel Peace Prize for his late 1940s mediation in Palestine. He was the first person of color to be so honored in the history of the Prize...
, an African-American educator, diplomat and Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
winner.
The building continued to be used for various school uses until 1998, including at times as an elementary school, for several specialized programs, including secondary and pre-school, and for School Board administrative offices and some School Board meetings. Ralphe Bunche High School alumni formed a preservation committee in 1998 after plans to demolish the building were discussed. In August of that year, the King George County School Board approved a resolution to preserve the building allowing it to be registered as a historical site. In May, 2007 the Ralph Bunche Alumni Association unveiled a commemorative plaque to be placed on the building.
Currently the building is used by the King George Sheriff's office for storage. The building is currently on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
.