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At the time of this interview, Venton Bell was the principal of Harding High School in Charlotte, North Carolina, a relatively small school with a mostly African American student body. In this interview, he describes his duties as principal as the interviewer reads him a list of questions. This list is constraining, but it includes questions about race and desegregation; Bell's responses to these questions offer a black administrator's perspective on these issues. He emphasizes the challenges that desegregation poses to Charlotte schools, such as the low socioeconomic status of many of his students, drawn from poor areas all over Charlotte; the closing of black schools and demotions of black educators; and parents' loss of faith in the system's fairness. Those researchers interested in the logistical details of running a school will find plenty of useful information.

Harding High's student population reflects the socioeconomic status of its community

Desegregation's damaging effects

Professional contacts trump race in determining who holds leadership positions

Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection

Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews

African American high school principals--North Carolina