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Perspectives on Tacoma School Desegregation: From Wallflower to Rabble Rouser
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- 2017 (Creation)
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Oral history interview with Laurie Arnold by TeyAnjulee Leon conducted on 04/25/2017. The child of left leaning social activists, Laurie Arnold grew up during a time of great change in the country and the Tacoma community. The same year Laurie started first grade, McCarver Elementary in Tacoma became the first magnet school in the country and began the desegregation process of Tacoma Public Schools. Though Laurie only attended through fifth grade, her experiences there lasted a lifetime. Throughout her educational journey, Laurie attended many schools, and the one that remained clearest in her memory was McCarver. One of her fondest memories was Friday Activities, and she could still recall the teachers she had as well which teams she belonged to. Laurie lived in Hilltop most of her childhood and only spent about seven or eight years away before returning home to Tacoma for good. In that time, she lived and attended schools in Seattle until age fourteen. Roughly a month into her ninth grade year, Laurie dropped out of school and moved to Florida until age seventeen. Upon her return, Laurie completed her GED, Associates, Bachelors, and Masters degrees all in the South Puget Sound region. She taught at the Tacoma Urban League for many years before she found her way to Bates Technical College where she currently works. Laurie continues to serve the Tacoma community and is a proud Hilltop native.
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Individuals may use project materials for scholarly or research purposes, according to the provisions of fair use, but reproducing, publishing, or broadcasting any oral history project materials requires permission. No use beyond limited quotation for educational and research purposes should be made of these interviews and other materials without obtaining written permission. For more information, contact the University of Washington Tacoma Library.
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This oral history is a part of the University of Washington Tacoma Community History Project. To access additional content related to this interview, see the UWT Digital Collections.