When Elaine’s father filed a lawsuit to allow her to attend an all-white school, the Whittenberg family shocked the community and changed everything about their way of life. Mr. Whittenberg lost his business, and, at times, thought he’d lose his daughter due to threats from neighbors.
“Years ago the mill companies had power. Cause I say, about 85-90% of people worked at the mill. They had so much power, until [they] pretty well controlled the schools in their areas.” -AJ Whittenberg