First African-American at Grady Honored as Legend

Sarah Nobles

Mrs. Mary McMullen-Francis walked regally into the Columbia High School gym, a serene smile on her face and an ROTC guard escort dressed in all white on her arm. Head held high, Mrs. McMullen-Francis took a seat in front of the student body, awaiting the ceremony that had been planned for her.

"We are here honoring a legend in the past as well as one who is helping to shape young people today," Dr. Mary Maynard, Deputy Superintendent of Dekalb County Schools, said. "Most of you did not realize you had a legend right here at Columbia High School," she added.

Thirty-eight years ago, Mary McMullen walked just as regally into the front doors of Grady High and changed the school forever.

On the first day of school in 1961, Mrs. McMullen-Francis and classmate Lawrence Jefferson broke the race barriers in Atlanta Public Schools and became the first African-American students at Grady.

Mrs. McMullen-Francis is now a teacher at Columbia High School in Dekalb, and the school officials decided that for the Black History performance in February to honor her and her efforts in eliminating racism in Atlanta.

Compared to integration in other cities like Little Rock and Montgomery, Grady's integration seemed relatively peaceful. President John F. Kennedy praised Atlanta citizens for their "courage, tolerance, and above all, respect for the law" in integrating the first four APS schools. This was mainly due to a set of rules and procedures the Atlanta Board of Education established in order to ensure the first day of school would be safe for the African-American students.

Though Mrs. McMullen-Francis avoided the violence of integration in other cities, she still "made many sacrifices we won't even know. She sacrificed and has done great things for all of us, regardless of race, of economic standing, of where we were born," Mr. Percy Mack, Area Executive Director, said.

As a senior in high school, Mrs. McMullen-Francis had to give up many of her old comforts in order to break the mold and integrate Grady. Not only did she have to leave behind her friends and her last year of cheerleading when she left her old high school, she also faced the taunts and threats of those who did not want to see blacks integrate the schools. Protesters picketed City Hall and the Atlanta Journal and Atlanta Constitution offices, and a member of the American Nazi Party was arrested for refusing to leave Grady's campus.

Mrs. McMullen-Francis feels it is important for students to be aware of their history and figures who have helped improve their lives. "When you speak of a legacy, you speak of yourselves. It is very important that you know who you are and the sacrifices that everyone has made to make you the best," she told the students as she accepted an award for her courage at Grady.

Were the sacrifices and risks worth it? "It was for the children that everything was done, for you," she said as she addressed the student body at Columbia. "You tell me, was it worth it?"

Dr. Joy Killum, Columbia's principal, assured the students that Mrs. McMullen-Francis' choice was worth it for the valuable difference it made in education in Atlanta. "All of us benefit from her today," she said. "Mrs. McMullen-Francis didn't shy away from the duty that called her. She made a difference, she made our country better."