Davis recognized for integrating St. John public schools
Published 12:40 pm Friday, September 4, 2015
- Superintendent Kevin George, left, stands with honoree Christina Marie Green Davis and school board members Patrick Sanders and Keith Jones.
RESERVE — Christina Marie Green Davis was recognized by the St. John the Baptist Parish School Board at its Thursday meeting for her pioneering efforts in desegregating the school system.
Davis was raised in Garyville and spent her entire public school education in St. John the Baptist Parish, first at Sixth Ward Elementary in Garyville and then at Fifth Ward High School in Reserve.
When she was in 11th grade in the spring of 1965, the school system was ordered to begin the desegregation process with first- and 12th-grade students on a voluntary basis.
On Aug. 30, 1965, Davis was the only student in the parish who took advantage of the desegregation order. She entered Leon Godchaux High School as a senior, personally and intimately experiencing the integration process, and graduated on June 2, 1966.
