Central High School in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Commemorates Sit-In, AME Presiding Elder Honored

On February 26, 2018, the Central High School class of 1973 held an event at Allen Chapel AME Church in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, to commemorate the historic “sit-in” of 1971. On April 20,1971, the Murfreesboro Black Ministers Association, led by then pastor of Allen Chapel AME Church, the Rev. Robert Keesee, held a meeting to protest the conditions of Black prisoners at a nearby correctional facility at First Baptist Church. It was at that meeting that the Black students in Central High School petitioned for support.

From April 21-23, 1971, a series of peaceful protests and sit-ins were held to protest the exclusion of Black students and the discriminatory practices of the Murfreesboro School Board. Even though African-Americans could participate in all activities, they had no voice on the student government nor could they help cheer Black athletes. With the support of the community and local organizations, the students were able to gain a voice and history was made.

In the service held at Allen Chapel, the Class of 1973 honored five honorees. The first recipient of the ” I Am Black History” Award was to one of the great spiritual leaders in our area, the former pastor of Allen Chapel, Retired Presiding Elder Robert E. Keesee. The second recipient was the Rev. Richard Gordon, former pastor of the First Baptist Church (the award was received by his daughter Thaya Morant). The next recipient, David Hartful, played a major part during the time when the students found themselves without a voice in student government. In 1971, the First Black Student Union was formed. David was the first BSU president and the first African-American commencement speaker. With courage and determination, the next recipient, Joan Simmons, met the qualifications and demonstrated the skills to become the first African­American cheerleader at Central High School. The final recipient of the “I Am Black History” Award was to Dorothene Hartful Woods. Helping the students in this sit-in was one of many instances where the Rev. Robert Keesee pioneered civil rights for African-Americans in Tennessee and Kentucky.