Dorothy Counts

Dorothy "Dot" Counts-Scoggins (born March 25, 1942) is an American civil rights pioneer, and one of the first black students admitted to the Harry Harding High School. After four days of harassment that threatened her safety, her parents withdrew her from the school, but the images of Dorothy being verbally assaulted by her white classmates were seen around the world. Counts-Scoggins was born in Charlotte, North Carolina and grew up near Johnson C. Smith University where both her parents worked. She was one of four children born to Herman L. Counts Sr. and Olethea Counts and was the couple's only daughter. Her father was a professor of philosophy and religion at the university and her mother was a homemaker and eventually became a dormitory director for the university. Counts-Scoggins says education was a huge part of her entire family; various aunts and uncles were educators. Because she was the only daughter in the family, she says she was often protected by her three brothers and parents. In 1956, forty Black students from North Carolina applied for transfers to a white school after the passing of the Pearsall Plan. The family applied Counts-Scoggins and two of her brothers to enroll in an all White school after her father was approached by Kelly Alexander Sr. Of her family, only Count-Scoggins was accepted. When she was fifteen, on September 4, 1957, a Thursday, Counts-Scoggins was one of four black students enrolled at various all-white schools in the district; she was enrolled at Harry Harding High School in Charlotte, North Carolina. The three other students—Gus Roberts, his sister Girvaud Roberts and Delois Huntley—attended schools including Central High School, Piedmont Junior High School and Alexander Graham Junior High. Counts-Scoggins was dropped off on her first day of school by her father, along with their family friend Edwin Thompkins. As their car was blocked from going closer to the front entrance, Edwin offered to escort Counts-Scoggins to the front of the school while her father parked the car.