Tue February 26, 2013 'Segregation Academies': Past and
Definitely Present The history of education in the South is
woven to the history of race. When whites saw public-school
integration coming, many started private schools, sometimes
called "segregation academies" – and they still play a role. In
west-central Alabama, not far from grazing cattle and ubiquitous
forest, there’s a selective, highly regarded private school.
Pickens Academy serves an area so rural it puts on deer hunts to
raise funds. It also serves the college-bound children of the
area’s white movers and shakers. For many of them, Pickens
Academy is a family tradition. It’s a sheltering, supportive
place. Fifth-grader Charlie Wilson says, “I like it that
everybody knows each other, so that everybody’s real close.”
Senior Katie McKinzey adds, “I love the closeness of it — how
we’re all like a family. There’s not many students who go here,
but we all come together.” That kind of bonding seems to come
naturally to the roughly 270 students. It pro