John Spratling, a social studies teacher and coach at Robertsville Middle School in Oak Ridge, will share the story of the Scarboro 85 during a virtual Black History Month event at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 24. The event is sponsored by the ORAU Diversity Council.
The Scarboro 85 were a group of African American students from Oak Ridge’s Scarboro community who were the first to desegregate what was then Robertsville Junior High School as well as Oak Ridge High School in 1955. The Oak Ridge schools were the first public schools in Tennessee and the Southeast to be desegregated.
“Not everyone knows the story of these brave students,” said Ann Gonzalez, an ORAU research associate leading the organization of this Diversity Council event. “John Spratling has made it his life’s work to preserve the history and tell the story of the Scarboro 85. We look forward to hosting a recognition of this important piece of Oak Ridge history.”
The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required and available until it begins.