Trenton, N.J. - On Wednesday, February 28, the City of Trenton will celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Hedgepeth-Williams desegregation case with a marker unveiling ceremony in front of Hedgepeth-Williams Intermediate School (301 Gladstone Avenue) at 10:00 a.m. Following the ceremony, attendees can go to the school auditorium to attend the students' Black History Month performance or visit the “Hall of History” displaying historic photos of members of both families. The luncheon program will begin at noon.
After graduating from the 6th grade, Janet Hedgepeth and Leon Williams were scheduled to attend New Lincoln school over 2 miles away from their homes. Junior High No. 2, a predominantly white school, was located just three blocks away from their residences. Upset with the educational difficulties, the mothers of the two students, Ms. Hedgepeth and Ms. Williams decided to take legal action with help from attorney and Trenton NAACP member Robert Queen.
In individual cases taken to the Trenton District Court, both families' cases were dismissed. Queen would then appeal the case to the New Jersey Supreme Court. In 1944, in the case of Hedgepeth and Williams vs. the Trenton Board of Education, the New Jersey Supreme Court decided it was unlawful for schools to segregate or otherwise refuse entry to a student due to race.
A decade later, in 1954, the U.S. Supreme Court, in Brown vs. the Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, ruled unanimously that segregation of public schools was unconstitutional and violated the 14th Amendment. Trenton's Hedgepeth-Williams decision was cited as a critical precedent for the U.S. Supreme Court ruling. In 1993, Junior High School No. 2 was renamed Hedgepeth-Williams School in honor of the two families.
The historical marker detailing the history of the case will be set outside of the school. The ceremony will feature remarks from Principal Adrienne Hill, Superintendent of Trenton Public Schools James Earle, Mayor Reed Gusciora, Lt. Governor Tahesha Way, and family representative Kandar Taylor.
Opportunities for photos and videos will be available after the ceremony