Overview
Okolona Industrial School was founded by Wallace Aaron Battle in 1902, citing the size of Mississippi’s Black population and the high rate of illiteracy as the catalysts for his decision. The school was located in northeastern Mississippi and provided industrial and teacher training for Black residents of the state. Battle structured the school after Booker T. Washington’s curriculum at the Tuskegee Institute.
The school featured both academic study and trade education, with courses in farming, stenography, brick masonry, blacksmithing, and sewing, among others. Each student had to select a trade and, if their work was graded at 80 percent or better, they received a small amount of money for their work. Students were also required to attend two church services and Sunday school, and students older than 12 were admitted to board at the school, only visiting home during Christmas vacation.
Despite academic success, the school faced difficulty raising funds to keep the school running. By 1921, the Episcopal Church, through its American Church Institute for Negroes (ACIN), took over the school. The school also faced racial violence in the 1920s, as several students were murdered by White residents, with no parties being held accountable. During the 1940s, Okolona shifted its curriculum to support war efforts, with courses in food production, food preservation, and farm mechanics added to the course offerings.
Due to continuing financial difficulties in the 1960s, Okolona could not keep up with the cost of maintaining educational standards. The school’s facilities and infrastructure were also deficient, with student-athletes having to travel 80 miles daily just to practice. The mounting financial and infrastructure issues led to Okolona’s eventual closing in 1965, leaving behind a legacy of Black education in the state.
Curricular Connections
Mississippi Studies
- MS.10.4 - Compare types of services offered by local and state government to meet the needs of Mississippians.
US History: 1877 to Present
- USH 2.1 - Interpret the changes brought by industrialization to the American economy.
African American Studies
- AAS.5.5 - Describe the development of African American institutions post-Reconstruction.
Teaching Level
Grades 8 - 12
Materials/Equipment
- Paper
- Colors/Colored Pencils/Markers
- Okolona Industrial School article
- Attached rubric
- Optional: Computer with internet access
Objectives
The students will:
- Explore the purpose of the Okolona Industrial School, including the reasons it needed to exist.
- Analyze the school's role in post-Reconstruction Mississippi.
- Examine ways the school supported the wartime economy during World War II.
- Create an advertisement for Okolona Industrial School.
Vocabulary:
Stenography: the process of writing in shorthand (an abbreviated, symbolic way of writing to increase speed and decrease length)
Millinery: the design, creation, and sale of hats
Blacksmithing: creating objects from primarily steel or iron
Ameliorate: to make better
Black Belt: a geographic region of the United States that had an economy based on enslavement and Black workers, historically
Denominational: relating to the principles of a particular religious organization
Extrapolated: taking past experiences or known data to predict something
Questions
Why was an all-Black industrial school needed?
What do the courses taught tell you about life in Mississippi at the time?
In what ways did the school support students, the community, and the nation?
What would be different if the school existed today? What courses would be taught?
Which majors/subjects were most popular with students? Why?
Activity
Create a brochure for Okolona Industrial School. A brochure is a tri-fold document with information and images on each page that advertises something. The one for the school should include:
The school's history
What classes are offered
Location
Clubs and activities
Images of the school/activities
Information on a president of your choosing
Brochures will be graded using the attached rubric.