The Scarboro 85 Monument honors the 85 Black students from the Scarboro community who, in 1955, became the first to integrate Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High. This pivotal moment in American history marked the first public school desegregation in the Southeast—occurring one year before Clinton 12, two years before the Little Rock Nine, and five years before Ruby Bridges.
The monument, currently in development, will serve as a lasting tribute to the students’ courage and the community’s role in advancing civil rights and educational equity.