Dilworth's Pursuit of Educational Equality

By Khania Caffie and Geralynn Razo

Richardson Dilworth, the 91st Mayor of Philadelphia from 1955 to 1962, was instrumental in shaping the city's modern era. He collaborated with the previous mayor, Joseph Clark, to rejuvenate the city, resulting in what was known as "Philadelphia's Modern Golden Age." During his time in office, Dilworth focused on restoring city parks, improving public housing, and preserving the Old City neighborhood of Philadelphia. However, his most controversial work came after her served as mayor. In his role as President of the Philadelphia School Board beginning in 1967, he advocated for desegregation in schools and implementation of a Black history curriculum.

FIGURE 1: Newspaper clipping from 1971 depicting President of the Philadelphia School Board Richardson Dilworth with an angelic halo and demonic horns. Undated. Richardson Dilworth Collection. Coll. Number 3112. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

His efforts were controversial, and diverse views of him were reflected in a newspaper clipping depicting Dilworth with demonic horns and an angelic halo. The caption describes Dilworth as a reformer, but he was also seen as a troublemaker. Below Dilworth's picture is a note from the sender saying, "Oh Dick, it's such a gut mixture, ain't it?"

Other than the media portrayal of Mayor Dilworth, there was correspondence sent to him from concerned suburban parents expressing concerns about the integration of African American students into their schools. Dorothy Green sent Dilworth a copy of Suburban Life with a note stating, "This is what the Suburbia thinks of you."

FIGURE 2: Letter from Dorothy Green to Dilworth. 1968. Richardson Dilworth Collection. Coll. Number 3112. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

FIGURE 3: Suburban Life Magazine. 1968. Richardson Dilworth Collection. Coll. Number 3112. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania

The cover, drawn by Jerry Doyle, depicted Dilworth as the Pied Piper leading students from Abington, Jenkintown, Elkins Park, and Cheltenham to Philadelphia. Many “hate letters”, labeled from the folder that the document is pulled from, suburban parents expressed concerns about how desegregation would impact their children's education and safety.  Another letter sent from a concerned citizen, calling themselves "taxpayer" within the note, discusses the waste of money for the schools and claims that African American teachers are underqualified to teach.  The racist invective continues throughout the letter, the anonymous writer suggests that African American students were only interested in assaulting girls and money and that they are ruining our country.

Pennsylvania Human Relation Commission vs The School District of Philadelphia

In 1968 the Pennsylvania Human Relation Commission sued the The School District of Philadelphia to desegregate schools within the School District’s 281 public primary and secondary schools, and the sub-districts within the county of Philadelphia; including Abington, Jenkintown, Elkins Park, and Cheltenham. Although Brown vs Board of Education was not put into effect until 1969, it played a key role in Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission vs. The School District of Philadelphia (1968) as the process of desegregation continued to be dragged on by the government. With this lawsuit they hope to enhance the benefits to underrepresented populations across the city. As of 1968-69, 226 of 279 schools in Philadelphia were racially segregated schools and 228 out of 281 in 1970-71. 

FIGURE 5: Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission vs. The School District of Philadelphia lawsuit. Richardson Dilworth papers. Coll. Number 3112. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

On June 7, 1971, Pennsylvania Human Relations commission ruled that the School District of Philadelphia committed an unlawful discrimination and had 30 days to implement a plan to desegregate schools during the 1971-72 school year. The Pennsylvania Human Relations Commission and Department of Public Instruction offered guiding questions for the School District to follow to Desegregate.  

FIGURE 6: Recommended Elements of a School Desegregation Plan. Richardson Dilworth papers. Coll. Number 3112. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

The Latino Project

Although there were movements taking place to bridge the gaps between communities, some communities still felt underrepresented such as the Latinos in Philadelphia. From the years 1962-1985 a non-profit legal assistance organization named the “The Latino Project” was created to create advocacy for Latinos in Philadelphia who were an underrepresented minority. Through this project many Latinos organized themselves to gather Census data to indicate how many Latinos live within the city and be able to gather information on who needs assistance. Ranging from public services that helped improve the performance of Latino/Hispanic students. As studies Latino/Hispanic  students' demonstrated their performance was lower due to their race and the benefits they received.  

FIGURE 7: Attention Hispanics flyer. The Latino Project papers. Coll. Number MSS117. Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania.

Khania Caffie graduated from Temple University with a degree in history and secondary education major at Temple University. Geralynn Razo is a junior history major at Temple University. Caffie and Razo were participants in HSP’s undergraduate Public History Summer Academy. They spent a week in August 2024 learning about archival research and public history practice and careers. Drawing on the vast collections at the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the students focused their research on education and citizen action in Philadelphia.  Visit https://www.portal.hsp.org/phisa for more information. Check back soon for this year's cohort posts!