Lindblom Wins National Prize for African-Amercan History

Four Lindblom Math and Science Academy students have earned top honors – and a $5,000 prize – for their efforts to uncover the complicated racial history of their school. The four Lindblom juniors -- Lea Starling, Everett Murrell, Jon Murphy, and Jonathan Parnell – created an exhibit display for the local Chicago Metro History Fair that ultimately advanced to the National History Day Finals in College Park, Maryland where it was selected as 14th in the nation. “Lindblom 1968” earned the prestigious Outstanding Entry in African-American History prize at the national contest. The award is sponsored by the Association for the Study of African-American Life and History.The students’ project details the transformation that occurred in their school in the 1960s as the Supreme Court pressured the Chicago Public Schools to become more integrated in the wake of the 1954 Brown v. the Board of Education decision. Racial conflict broke out at Lindblom as increasing numbers of black students began to attend the predominantly-white school. Lindblom and the surrounding West Englewood neighborhood quickly shifted from predominantly white to predominantly black due to white flight. As Jonathan Parnell remarked, “At Lindblom, it was the school that changed the neighborhood. The school changed the surroundings. I thought that…people needed to know.” His partner, Lea Starling, echoed, “It changed the whole community in five years. We want them to see the impact…through our board. We want them to go away with education in mind and the fight to keep going.”The students spent several months researching their project, finding historical treasures through interviews with people who attended Lindblom as it was integrating in the 1960s and in old school yearbooks. Parnell noted, “I learned to research things -- like in college.” Everett Murrell continued, “I learned how to interact with people, including people from different races. I made new friends.” The students participated in the Chicago Metro History Fair through the Museology Colloquium taught by Molly Myers. This year is Lindblom’s first participating in the History Fair.