Black History Month Speaker Examines the Legacy of School Segregation

In honor of Black History Month, the Belmont Hill Community was joined on February 20, 2025 by Clay Cornelius, founder of Red Clay Tours of Birmingham, Alabama, to discuss the history of school segregation in his hometown and here in Boston. 

Mr. Cornelius hails from Birmingham and his Red Clay Tours company was born out of an interest in showcasing the history of his hometown. While he hoped the tours would highlight more lighthearted cultural mainstays of the city, the mission changed when he learned the depth of the city’s role in the Civil Rights movement. Shocked to find no other city tour focused on exploring and grappling with that history, Mr. Cornelius now illuminates the challenges of that era to visitors from all over the country.

The School became familiar with Mr. Cornelius’s work through the annual Civil Rights and Leadership Trip, available to Form II boys. The trip makes stops at historical sites in Alabama, Georgia, and Louisiana and is funded each year by the Diversity Initiative Fund, providing a powerful experience for students free of cost. On that trip, the participants get to take part in Mr. Cornelius’s tour firsthand during their stop in Birmingham. Mr. Cornelius’s visit to Chapel granted a similar opportunity to the entire Belmont Hill Community.  

As part of the Chapel’s programming, Mr. Cornelius guided students through the legal tactics and social impact of Birmingham's “De Jur” segregation in schools. Major events such as the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing were given historical context as part of the violent response to attempts at school integration.

The approach in Birmingham differed greatly from what was implemented in Boston, which Mr. Cornelius classified as “De Facto” segregation, but through housing, redlining, and other legal methods, Boston suffered a similar end result of violence and destabilizing chaos. 

Upon the completion of the presentation, the Chapel door was opened to questions. When asked by a student why he started the tour company telling Birmingham’s story, Mr. Cornelius said, “I do it because someone should. It’s too incredible, too painful, to not talk about.”