1956 Integration Commemoration

On Tuesday evening, February 14, 2023 a ceremony was held at the Allegany County Board of Education noting the history of African American education within the county as well as commemorating the first African American students to graduate from an integrated Allegany County high school, this being Fort Hill in May 1956 with the students being Harold Hilton, William Peck and Judy Leath. This was following the 1954 landmark Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas.  

Mr. William Peck gave a moving and extremely informative recollection of his growing up on Central Avenue in Cumberland, his boyhood friends, Fort Hill experience, attempts to secure work in Cumberland, recent local events and his long career with the Washington D.C. Metropolitan Police Department.

Proclamations pertaining to African American History Month and Certificates of Recognition were also read.  

For additional related information on this website pertaining to local school integration and Mr. Peck see these links:

• Integration to Get Underway in Eight Maryland Counties
• William Peck, Black History Month, 2013
• Virginia Avenue School Integration, 1955
• Judy Leath, Harold Hilton, William Peck
• Public School Integration Makes Start
• Breaking Barriers