Audio produced by StoryCorps Studios in partnership with GBH Boston.
In this recording, sisters Leithia Watson Carter and Barbara Watson discuss the impact of the decision to desegregate Nashville public schools. Taking an opposite approach to many comparable cities, Nashville ordered all students, regardless of race, to go to the schools nearest their home. Leithia and Barbara recall the sudden hostility they faced from white neighbors. Barbara walked to school with her parents on her first day, facing angry crowds. Both sisters remember men staying overnight in their home with guns to protect them from threats.
Audio recorded on May 18, 2023 at NPT in Nashville
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