We’ll Ne’er Forget Southwest

Southwest Highschool alumni from the classes of 1967-1981

Graduates of Southwest Highschool Inaugurate an Alumni Breakfast

“We’ll never forget Southwest,” sang the many former students present at the Inaugural Southwest High School Alumni Breakfast that was held this past Saturday at Mount Vernon Baptist Church in Southwest Atlanta. Members of the graduating classes from 1967 to 1981 gathered Saturday morning, to kindle their common fellowship and to honor one another’s dynamic past student experiences at the most prominent integrating High Schools within the Atlanta Public School System of the 1960’s and 70’s. Thanks to the hosting class of 1972, the SWHS Steering Committee, Mount Vernon Baptist Church, social media group organizers, and many more, the inaugural breakfast was a landmark occasion that will no-doubt carry on as a treasured tradition for many years to come.

Former Southwest Atlanta classmates meet and greet before program begins.

     In 1964, Southwest High School (SWHS) was integrated by seven African American students, paving the way for what would become one of the most notable Black school communities of Atlanta. This past Saturday, class members from the graduating classes of 1967 to 1981 gathered at Mount Vernon Baptist Church of Southwest Atlanta to kindle their common fellowship.  Curtis Miller, from the class of 1972 emceed the event and shared about how his class decided to open their annual breakfast to a broader and more inclusive audience after noticing that alumni from other classes began to learn of the occasion and attend through the years. A class roll call was held by Linda Bennett-Burras (class of 1980), beginning with the class of 1967, and ending with the class of 1981, which was the last class to graduate from Southwest High School. Benjamin E. Mays High School opened its doors in September of 1981 and enrolled many former students of Southwest High School. The two schools share a deep connection through their history and service to the students and families of Southwest Atlanta.

Three of the original seven integrating students pose for their class of 1967 photo.

Class members of 1980 were the second to last graduating class before the school closed and transitioned into a middle school, thus ending enrollment and the education at Southwest High School.

    Honorable mention was given to Phyllis Jackson-Smith. She was one of the seven initial integrating students and the daughter of Leonard Jackson, who was one of nine parents that filed the lawsuit in conjunction with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People for the integration of Atlanta Public Schools at large. Though the landmark school integration Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education ruled segregated schooling to be unconstitutional in 1954, Atlanta Public Schools and many other Southern school districts refused to adhere to the new law of the land. It wasn’t until 1961 that the first Atlanta schools were integrated. Southwest High School followed suit three years later by enrolling seven African American students in the fall of 1964. Greg Love, Marylin Johnson and Phyllis Jackson-Smith attended the breakfast; they were three of those seven initial integrating students.

Family members who are also alumni share some contextual history of Southwest Atlanta during the time of school integration.

    A thoughtful and brief school history was shared by Christie Turner Hicks (class of 1974) and Darrell Morgan (class of 1973). They discussed the evolution of the school, from its changing jurisdictions, name changes, principal transitions, and many other significant facts. Christie Turner Hicks presented a curation of photographs that showcased the school’s architecture and notable leadership. Darrel Morgan called his cousin Phyllis Jackson-Smith to the stage to share some contextual history about Atlanta’s southwestern quadrant during the 1960’s. Emcee Curtis Miller also shared that the school football team of 1974 was the first Black football team to win the Georgia state championship and the last Atlanta Public School to win the title to date. An air of hallowed, historic, living legacies filled the fellowship hall of Mount Vernon Baptist Church throughout the morning.

     Following the closing prayer that was led by class of 72’s Rev. Ryginal Eppinger. The entire body of present alumni stood to sing tribute to their Alma Mater, with their school song:

While the sands of time are shifting,

Some will leave and some will stay.

Our spirits and traditions will forever have their say.

Her ideals will reign majestic,

Through every hallowed year.

She stands for all our fondest dreams,

The things that we hold dear.

Her strength will ever shine, a goal for all to see,

And it will always be a lasting shrine.

And throughout history,

She’ll shine for you and me,

Her aims will never die.

Spirit is our best possession;

‘Twill always be the best.

It echoes in our hearts and

We’ll ne’er forget SOUTHWEST!

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