ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Colored Memorial School and Risley High School

Okay kiddo, this is going to be a little complicated, but I'll try to break it down for you. Back in the olden days, before you were born, people of different skin colors weren't always allowed to go to the same schools. There were some schools that only white kids could go to, and other schools that only black kids could go to.

The Colored Memorial School and Risley High School were two schools in Georgia that were only for black kids. The Colored Memorial School was built in 1930, and it was called that because it was a memorial to all the black soldiers who had fought and died in wars for America. Risley High School was built in the 1950s, and it was named after a man named Frank Risley who had worked for the school system for a long time.

Even though these schools were only for black kids, they were still important because they gave those kids a chance to get an education. The teachers at these schools worked really hard to make sure that their students learned important things like reading, writing, and math. They also taught their students about black history and culture, which was really important because those things weren't always included in the regular school curriculum.

But here's the thing, kiddo - it wasn't fair that black kids had to go to separate schools from white kids. It made them feel like they weren't as good as white kids, even though that wasn't true at all. So, over time, people started to fight against segregation, which means keeping people of different skin colors apart. In the 1960s, segregation was finally made illegal, which meant that black kids and white kids could go to the same schools.

That's why we don't have schools like the Colored Memorial School and Risley High School anymore - because we don't want to keep people apart based on their skin color. We want everyone to have the same opportunities to learn and grow, no matter what they look like.