LOLITA PORTIS (JONES)
Lolita Portis, 12 years old, was one of two black students to attend Blair Jr. High School in 1959.
Lolita was interviewed for the documentary "The Other Face of Dixie" (1962). She said that what helped her get through this trying time was that she was treated well by the teachers.
Sam Ray, principal of Blair Jr. High School, recalled Lolita as "a girl who is now married and has children ... was a fine young lady. Both students adjusted beautifully." Ray stated that both of these students (Portis and Reginald Young) "went on and finished at Maury and to my knowledge had no problems at Maury."*
But 50 years later, from her home in Nevada, Lolita told a fellow Norfolk 17 member that she has wanted to forget about that time. She never even told her children about the pain she experienced.
NOTE: Her recollections have now been recorded as part of WHRO's "The Norfolk 17: Their Story" (February 2009).
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Lolita Portis leaving Blair Junior High School on her first day of school 2/2/1959. (The Virginian-Pilot photo from a news clipping in the collection of the Women's Council for Interracial Cooperation.) |
*Ray, Sam. Interview with Sam Ray. February 10, 1987. The Oral History of the Principalship. Digital Library and Archives, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Link |
