In his Leafwood Road home, Enoch Copeland reached into a backpack and pulled out a piece of Suffolk’s black history.

&uot;We want our legacy to be a part of Suffolk’s history,&uot; he said of the generations of students that graduated from the Nansemond County Training School, flipping through some papers decorated with photos of some of the classes.

&uot;All black high schools in the state we called ‘training centers,’ because they wanted it to appear that Negroes had to be trained,&uot; Copeland added. &uot;But those of us at the school are proud that we had the opportunity to attend at that time.&uot;

The first black public high school in the area, the training school opened in 1924 with

Hannibal Howell as its first president. Howell would serve 42 years at the school, one of the longest tenures in local history. Five graduates made up the first departing class in 1931 at the

11-grade school.

&uot;We only had 11 grades because the state didn’t fund the 12th grade,&uot; Copeland said. &uot;We missed out on some major courses like physics, algebra and trigonometry. We ended up taking some courses in college that we should have taken in high school.

&uot;Living in a rural setting was a plus for us,&uot; said Copeland, who went on to teach at East Suffolk Elementary and was the principal of Oakland Elementary. Copeland also

served on the city council, including a stint as Vice Mayor.

&uot;Even if it was segregated, we didn’t know. We’d play ball with white youths. We were segregated in church and school, but not in play,&uot; he added.

&uot;Our farms would connect, so we’d go out and talk to each other. We lived with it until integration came, and we accepted that too.&uot;

Copeland’s wife, Jean, finished up at the school in 1958, five years after her husband. Hers was the first graduating class to operate under a 12-year program. In 1956, the training center had consolidated with East Suffolk High School, and a new school was built.

&uot;People said that we were lucky,&uot; said Jean, who retired in June as the director of guidance at Southampton County High School.

&uot;We had small classes, and a small teacher-student ratio. People said it was like a private school.&uot;

In 1964, the school’s name was changed to Southwestern High School, which actually operated as both elementary and high schools.

The school won state championships in both boys and girls basketball, and its football team helped several young men get college scholarships.

Southwestern was closed as a high school after the 1969-1970 school year. A total of 784 students had graduated through the years. Every three years, the school holds a reunion, with the next one coming in 2006.

&uot;Our children need to know about their heritage,&uot; said Jean, a mother of two. &uot;If we don’t keep the spark alive and let them know what it was like, they won’t be able to appreciate it.&uot;

&uot;Our parents and teacher taught us that no one can take away what’s up here,&uot; Copeland said, pointing to his head.

&uot;It’s made us what we are. Black history doesn’t need to start or begin in February – it needs to keep going.&uot;

jason.norman@suffolknewsherald.com