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Funeral is Saturday for Williams, who fought to integrate CHS in 1956

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Alfred Williams

Alfred Williams

 

Alfred Williams, one of the Clinton 12 students who fought for the integration of Clinton High School in 1956, died Thursday, March 14. He was 83. His funeral is Saturday.

“On behalf of the Green McAdoo Cultural Organization, the City of Clinton, and the State of Tennessee, we extend our heartfelt condolences to the family of Mr. Alfred Williams,” Green McAdoo Cultural Organization said in a statement. “Alfred passed away at The Waters Nursing and Rehabilitation Facility on March 14, 2019, surrounded by family. He was one of the Clinton 12 students that fought for the integration of Clinton High School in 1956, blazing a trail for all black students to achieve equal education under the law. He went on to work in the city school system and became one of the friendly faces of Clinton Elementary School and the ‘candy man’ until his retirement. He will be missed by family, friends, and all those blessed to know him.” [Read more…]

State budget includes $100,000 for Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton

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Green-McAdoo-Cultural-Center

The recently passed Tennessee budget includes $100,000 for the maintenance, restoration, and operation of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton, a press release said.

The funds were secured in the budget by Tennessee Lieutenant Governor Randy McNally and Representative John Ragan, both Oak Ridge Republicans, the press release said.

The Green McAdoo Cultural Center commemorates the Clinton 12, the first black students to integrate a public high school in the South, the release said.

“The story of the Clinton 12 is a pivotal event in the history of our state and our region that must never be forgotten,” Ragan said in the press release. “The Green McAdoo Cultural Center serves an important function in our community to remind us of this important history. I am proud the state will play a part in furthering the important mission of the center.” [Read more…]

Knoxville Film Festival to screen ‘The Clinton 12’

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The Clinton 12

The Fourth Annual Knoxville Film Festival will present a special screening of the acclaimed documentary film “The Clinton 12” on Sunday, August 28, at 3 p.m. at the Regal Downtown West Cinema 8 in Knoxville. The screening is in honor of the 60th anniversary of the integration of Clinton High School in Clinton and the 10th anniversary of both the film and the opening of the Green McAdoo Cultural Center in Clinton.

Narrated by award-winning actor James Earl Jones, “The Clinton 12” tells the compelling story of the integration of the first public high school in the South as a result of the Brown vs. Board of Education decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, a press release said. The title refers to the 12 black teenagers who, in the fall of 1956, were forced to attend the all-white high school in Clinton, Tennessee.

“The Knoxville Film Festival is proud to bring this story to our audience,” said Keith McDaniel, director of “The Clinton 12” and co-founder/executive director of the Knoxville Film Festival. “This has been, and continues to be, an important story about courage and determination. We want to make sure all East Tennesseans have an opportunity to see this film, and it is our pleasure to honor those who carried the torch of equality and changed our nation.” [Read more…]

New film on former ORNL Director Weinberg has premiere on April 23

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Alvin Weinberg Poster

The world premiere of a new film on the life of former Oak Ridge National Laboratory Director Alvin Weinberg will be held on Thursday, April 23, at the American Museum of Science and Energy in Oak Ridge. The film was written and directed by award-winning documentary filmmaker and Oak Ridge resident Keith McDaniel.

Although McDaniel has written and directed more than a dozen documentary films, he is generally best known for his films “Secret City: The Oak Ridge Story” and “The Clinton 12.”

According to McDaniel, the biographical documentary entitled “Alvin Weinberg” explores the life of the internationally renowned nuclear scientist.

“I didn’t know Dr. Weinberg very well although I did interview him a couple of years prior to his death,” McDaniel said. “His was a fascinating life. In making this film, I wanted to not only tell stories of his professional achievements but I also wanted to show what Dr. Weinberg was like as a person.” [Read more…]

‘Clinton 12’ statues vandalized

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Information from WYSH Radio

This past weekend, someone threw eggs at the statues of the 12 students who desegregated Clinton High School in 1956 that stand in front of the Green McAdoo Museum.

On Saturday afternoon, the Clinton Police Department was called at about 5 p.m. to the museum that pays tribute to those students—and tells the story of the South’s first desegregated public high school. Officers made contact with a woman who said she had come to visit the museum, not realizing it closed at 4 p.m., and had noticed the vandalism to the statues. [Read more…]

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