Honoring the Courage of Gov. Frank G. Clement Sen. Lamar Alexander (far left), former Tennessee State Senator Anna Belle Clement O'Brien and former U.S. Representative Bob Clement discuss Gov. Frank G. Clement's courageous role in the desegration of Clinton High School during a ceremony at the Green McAdoo site in Clinton recently.
“In 1956, one year before Central High School in Little Rock was integrated, Governor Clement and the citizens of Clinton did what they were supposed to do by enforcing the law and successfully integrating Clinton High School without federal intervention,” Alexander said. “The Clinton 12 bravely stood up and became the first students to enter a desegregated public high school in the South, and we need to honor their important place in our nation’s history. We also need to recognize the leadership and courage it took for Governor Clement to desegregate Clinton High without the need for federal armed forces. I think it is very important to honor the story of the Clinton 12 and what the Tennessee community and especially Governor Clement did a year before Little Rock Central by making this site a unit in the National Park System.”
