
Image

A protest march outside of Girard College led by Members of the St. Thomas Episcopal Church, Philadelphia, PA, 1965.
Credit: Courtesy Urban Archives, Temple University Libraries, Philadelphia
In the mid-1960s, Girard College's refusal to admit African-American students became a symbol of continuing segregation in Philadelphia and a focal point of the Civil Rights Movement in the city. Months of daily demonstrations and a prolonged lawsuit resulted in a 1967 court ruling that broke Girard's will and mandated the admission of black students to the school.