Did you know that there was once statewide competition among black students in Math, English, Spelling, Science, Music, Drama, and Athletics?
When Louisiana schools were segregated, our facilities were unequal, but the intense focus on scholarship was second to none. It was a focus we lost when we lost the ability to develop culture-specific programs for our children.
Black schools across the state organized themselves to promote scholarship through a series of year-long competitions in which schools competed not only in athletics but also in nearly every area of a school’s curriculum.
The organization was called “The Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic League for Negroes (LIALO).
It was a statewide athletic association for African American high schools in Louisiana. The LIALO was founded in 1939 by a group of African American educators and coaches. The LIALO’s mission was to promote and develop athletic programs for African American high schools in Louisiana.
The late Morris Henry Carroll was one of the young educators who helped develop the program.
The LIALO operated independently of the State Department of Education and used competition to motivate black students to achieve. They divided the state into football districts, which began in September and did not end until May.
The rallies featured a variety of events, including track and field, basketball, football, and baseball. However, unique to the segregated schools, the rallies also include academics and the arts.
Carroll High’s band, drama, science, and math clubs competed against Peabody in Alexandria or black schools in New Orleans.
The competitions were intense, and school pride helped raise expectations for students.
The rallies ended in 1970 when the LIALO was disbanded as a result of desegregation.
The LIALO was merged into the LSHAA, which focused on athletics but not academics.
When the two programs were integrated, one of the greatest tools black schools had to motivate students of our race vanished.
The LIALO competition concept could work today.
The state didn’t endorse the idea in 1939 and probably won’t today.
It was a program that was culture-specific. It raised black students’ appreciation for achievement in many academic areas, including sports.
Today, the state has given up. It has divided a “career” track with a watered-down high school diploma that lowers expectations. Most of our educators are drinking the cool-aid.
In 1939, educators found a way that worked; it would seem that we should have a 21st-century plan that works as well.
