First African-American teacher hired after desegregation of Bloomington schools
Racial segregation in Bloomington schools lasted until 1951 when the Banneker School and its black student body was integrated into the Monroe County Community School Corporation. Blacks, however, were not members of the faculty. Born in Brazil, Indiana, LaVerta Terry (1937-2016) attended Bloomington public schools and Crispus Attucks High School in Indianapolis before graduating from Bloomington High School. She earned scholarship offers from Indiana University and Tougaloo College in Mississippi. She first chose IU, but after not finding housing in segregated Bloomington, Terry went to Mississippi. She and her husband, Henry Terry, a Bloomington native, returned to Bloomington in 1948, intending to teach. She asked the MCCSC several times for a job application but was ignored. After 10 years, the Terrys considered moving. LaVerta’s son David was a promising basketball player, and in order to keep the family in Bloomington, Terry in 1962 was offered a teaching position. She initially rejected the offer because of why it had been made. However, she changed her mind after deciding that sacrifices were required for African-Americans to progress. Terry taught at Central School until accepting a position at IU in 1968 as assistant director of the University Division. She retired in 1996 as dean of the Groups Programs and passed away in 2016.