Richard Hicks, the principal of Hillside High School in Durham, North Carolina, at the time of the interview, describes his management style, his approach to hiring and firing, his attention to discipline, and other details of his position. In 1990, Hillside High School had a 100% black student body, and 70% of its teachers were black. Hicks does not believe that the school's racial composition has contributed to its success, though, and despite the uniqueness of his position, he does not speak a great deal about race or the legacy of desegregation. Researchers interested in these subjects will find some brief excerpts in which Hicks denies the influence of desegregation on his own career (although he concedes that black candidates for principal positions need to have unique qualities to be considered) and comments on the relationship between black students and black teachers. Topics not covered in this interview are resegregation and the effects of white flight.

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Title from menu page (viewed on Dec. 16, 2008).

Interview participants: Richard Hicks, interviewee; Goldie F. Wells, interviewer.

Duration: 00:45:50.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-Chapel Hill digital library, Documenting the American South. It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner. Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Forms part of Oral histories of the American South collection.