Historical Society of Princeton to Host Panel Discussion for
School Integration Anniversary
To commemorate the 70th anniversary of the “Princeton Plan,” the Historical Society of Princeton is hosting a panel discussion at its Updike Farmstead headquarters on Thursday, October 18, at 7:00 PM.
A school integration process that went on to be nationally recognized, the “Princeton Plan” combined two elementary schools, the Nassau Street School and the Witherspoon School, in 1948. The discussion will contextualize the event in the broader national and regional historical context of desegregation, as well as inform about the local impact and national reverberations of the Princeton Plan. Featured speakers are Kevin M. Kruse, Professor of History at Princeton University, and local historian Shirley Satterfield, a member of the first integrated class at the Nassau Street School.
“This event promises to be an engaging exploration of this powerful time in our history,” said Izzy Kasdin, HSP Executive Director. “We’re so lucky to have two speakers who will provide insights that range from hyper-local to national on the topic of desegregation.”
This program is presented in conjunction with exhibitions about the Princeton Plan at the Historical Society of Princeton and the Princeton Room at the Princeton Public Library this fall.
This program is free and open to the public, thanks to support from the New Jersey Commission on Holocaust Education and Genocide Studies. Space is limited, and advance registration on HSP’s website, www.princetonhistory.org, is recommended.
ABOUT KEVIN KRUSE: Kevin M. Kruse is a Professor of History at Princeton University. He specializes in the political, social, and urban/suburban history of twentieth-century America, with a particular interest in conflicts over race, rights and religion and the making of modern conservatism. He is the author of several books, including One Nation Under God: How Corporate America Invented Christian America, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism, and the upcoming Fault Lines: A History of the United States since 1974 (W.W. Norton, January 2019), which was co-written with Julian Zelizer. Kevin is currently conducting research for his new book, The Division: John Doar, the Justice Department, and the Civil Rights Movement.
ABOUT SHIRLEY SATTERFIELD: Shirley Satterfield is a resident of the Witherspoon-Jackson neighborhood and was member of the first integrated class at Nassau School. Ms. Satterfield attended Rider College, then went on to Bennett College in Greensboro, N.C., where she studied elementary education. She earned her master’s degree at Trenton State College (now the College of New Jersey). She served as a guidance counselor at Princeton High School for 14 years, before retiring in 2000. She is a past Trustee and avid supporter of the Historical Society of Princeton, and the head of the Witherspoon-Jackson Historical and Cultural Society.
