Remembering the Space Age. - Black Vault Radio Network (BVRN)

OperatION paperCLIp IN hUNtSVILLe, aLaBaMa
Why is this not a surprise? Why is the african american community not more
represented in a public forum that discusses the enormous economic, cultural,
and societal development of huntsville since the army moved its rocketry
development program to town? this paper intends to shed some light on how
we might answer these questions.
While the percentage of african americans in huntsville’s population
is lower than in many areas in alabama, it has been and is again at about 30
percent. 16 Segregation ofcially ended in the early 1960s, but the visitor today
can easily observe that the town still appears to be de facto segregated into
predominantly black neighborhoods in the northwest and white neighborhoods
in the southeast parts of the city. however, the dominant perception is that
huntsville integrated its public facilities rather quickly in comparison to other
towns in alabama and before the signing of the 1964 Civil rights act. 17
Charles ray, a retired employee of the army’s equal employment
Opportunity (eeO) ofce at redstone arsenal and the owner of Nelms
Funeral home in huntsville was born in Madison County, alabama, in 1936.
he is an alabama a&M alumni and has lived in the huntsville area most of his
life. ray explains that racism in the area was less “rabid” due to the relatively
sent back to redstone arsenal in late 1966 after his tour in Vietnam. he is an alabama a&M
alum and active in huntsville’s community as a member of a ballet association, a United Way
volunteer, and president of the board of the american red Cross.
16. While in 1950 african americans made up 32 percent of huntsville’s population, in 1960
and 1970 the percentage had declined to 14 percent and 12 percent respectively. this decline
has been explained by the “lack of in-migration” of african americans from the surrounding
farmland into the city despite the decline in agriculture in the 1950s and 1960s. While the
city’s population expanded, it was mainly the white population that grew larger. according
to the U.S. Census for 2000, the percentage of african americans in huntsville has risen
back to 30 percent. U.S. Census Bureau (http://www.census.gov/), “huntsville, alabama:
Factsheet,” (2000), huntsville-Madison County public Library archives, “Comparative
Growth rates: huntsville, Madison County, Birmingham, alabama; Source: US Census
of population 1920-1960,” (fle “huntsville population”), huntsville-Madison County
public Library archives, “General population Characteristics—1970: huntsville and
Madison County alabama, Source: U.S. Department of Commerce/Bureau of the Census,”
(huntsville, aL: fle “huntsville population”). See also andrew J. Dunar and Stephen p.
Waring, Power to Explore: A History of Marshall Space Flight Center, 1960-1990, NASA Historical
Series (Washington, DC: National aeronautics and Space administration, NaSa history
Ofce, Ofce of policy and plans, 1999), p. 126.
17. according to the documentary flm, A Civil Rights Journey, one of the town’s historical markers
received the addition “1962—First City in alabama to begin segregation” to mark huntsville’s
uniqueness in respect to civil rights in the state of alabama. For information on the Civil rights
Movement in huntsville, see Dunar and Waring, Power to Explore: A History of Marshall Space
Flight Center, 1960-1990, NASA Historical Series (Washington, DC: National aeronautics and
Space administration, NaSa history Ofce, Ofce of policy and plans, 1999), chapter 4, and
Sonnie hereford, III, M.D., A Civil Rights Journey, DVD (United States: Sonnie hereford, III,
1999). For a description of the Jim Crow system in context of alabama 20th century history, see
Wayne Flynt, Alabama in the Twentieth Century, The Modern South (tuscaloosa, aL: University of
alabama press, 2004), chapter 7.
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