Decades after Jackson P. Burley High School shut its doors, the schoolâs alumni continue to tell their stories to keep the memory of the once all-Black high school alive, and they want to work with students at the school, which became Jackson P. Burley Middle School in 1974, in that effort.
âI wish the history of this school would be taught to students in a class, so the kids would understand what we went through, what our parents went through and show them the difference between what it is then and what it is now,â said Donald Byers, who graduated in 1959. âThey have great opportunities now â opportunities we didnât have â and they need to make sure that they take advantage of those opportunities.â