Q&A: Florida woman reflects on her push to integrate Gainesville High School

LaVon Bracy endured ‘year of isolation’ in high school

ORLANDO, Fla. – LaVon Bracy, a native Floridian raised by parents who were active during the civil rights movement, became an activist herself in high school when she and three brave others fought to end segregation in the Jim Crow South.

[NEWS 6/360: Integrating the military and honoring icons through art, Central Florida is rooted in Black History]

They were the first to integrate Gainesville High School in Alachua County. Of course, their achievements came at a price.

Bracy was a senior in high school when she endured what she called a year of isolation.

She said she was spit on, called the N-word and beaten by white students who did not want the class of 65 to be the first to graduate a black student.

It’s a story only she can tell, because she lived it.

Hear her reflect on it during a Q&A session in the the video player at the top of the story.


About the Authors

Emmy Award-winning reporter Louis Bolden joined the News 6 team in September of 2001 and hasn't gotten a moment's rest since. Louis has been a General Assignment Reporter for News 6 and Weekend Morning Anchor. He joined the Special Projects/Investigative Unit in 2014.

Recommended Videos