In 1965, three Black teenagers walked into Canton High School in Mississippi. They were met with acorns hurled from the trees, chairs sprayed with chemicals, and an administration that deliberately separated them so each would face hostility alone. Two of those students eventually left. Mary Smith-Blackmon stayed, graduated with honors in 1966, and became the first Black student to ever graduate from the all-white school.
Sixty years later, her story is not just history. It is a warning.
What She Survived
Smith-Blackmon transferred from Rogers High, Canton’s all-Black school, alongside Bobbie Ruth Chinn and Phill George. From day one, the system was designed to break them. School officials ensured the three students shared no classes. “They made sure that we would be all alone, all the time,” Smith-Blackmon told WLBT.
Students sprayed unknown substances on her chair while teachers were absent. A male student repeatedly kicked her chair during an assembly. When Smith-Blackmon finally confronted him, telling him “as long as you are white and I’m Black, don’t you ever put your feet anywhere near me,” she was the one suspended for two weeks, Face2Face Africa reported.
When all three students tried to transfer back to Rogers High, officials denied the request, citing a state law that prohibited more than one transfer per school year. The system trapped them in hostility and punished them for surviving it. Chinn eventually withdrew. George’s family relocated out of state. Smith-Blackmon stayed alone.
She graduated with honors in May 1966. One unnamed white classmate acted “like an angel,” giving her extra graduation tickets so her family could attend. That classmate later passed away from diabetes. Smith-Blackmon has never publicly identified her, out of respect.
What She Built After
Smith-Blackmon attended Tougaloo College and Jackson State University, earned her education degree, then returned to Canton Public Schools. She spent over 30 years teaching in the same system that once tried to destroy her. The original Canton High School closed in 1969 rather than continue integration. Rogers High was eventually renamed Canton High School.
Read that again. They closed the white school instead of sharing it.
Why This Matters Now
This is not just a Black History Month reflection. American schools are more racially segregated today than they were in the late 1960s. Roughly one in ten Black students attend schools where 90% or more of the population is Black. In July 2025, Congress authorized the nation’s first federal private school voucher program. Project 2025 proposes eliminating the Department of Education and ending the collection of data on racial disparities in public schools.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has moved to dismantle existing desegregation orders. Virginia Democrat Bobby Scott introduced the Strength in Diversity Act of 2025 to push back, but the legislative fight is uphill.
Mary Smith-Blackmon endured chemical sprays, physical assault, suspension for defending herself, and total isolation, all at 16 years old. She did that so the next generation would not have to. The question is whether we are honoring that sacrifice or erasing it.
The takeaway: Know who fought for your seat. Then fight like hell to keep it. School board elections, voucher legislation, and education funding decisions are happening right now in your community. Smith-Blackmon’s own words carry the weight: “Opportunity follows struggle. If nobody is out there to struggle, then opportunities don’t come.”
