by Herbert Dennard
Known for his civil rights activism, Bert Bivens III, the former Civil Service Worker, School teacher, Macon Mayor Pro Tem and Bibb Commissioner, started his career at Robins Air Force Base as a janitor. While on this job, Bivens learned about an electronic training program and decided to apply for it. More than 800 people had taken the test but the base was only going to place 38-40 people into the program. The class was going to be taught at the segregated whites only Dudley Hughes High School in Bibb County, therefore black students who wanted to learn about electronics could not attend it.
The program was designed for selected students to work in electronics for three months on the WRAF base and 3 months at the Dudley Hughes High School. The Personnel Office at Robins Air Force Base was concerned about this arrangement because the high school was segregated. After successfully applying, Bert Bivens made an appointment with the Vocational Director at the school to discuss the matter of his attendance. The Director stated he could not admit him to the program at the school. Bert further engaged the Civilian Personnel at the Air Force Base about the same issue, his admission to the electronics program. He received the same reply that he had gotten from the high school. The AFB Civilian Personnel administrators stated that they could not change the policies of the Bibb County School System.
It was at this point that Bert decided to write to Attorney General Robert Kennedy and outline the situation. Bivens mentioned in this letter, that the ruling by the Supreme Court in Brown vs Board of Education stated that public school segregation based on race was illegal.
At home, weeks later, Bivens received a phone call from the FBI. This concerned him because he was told to come to their office as soon as he could and was not given a reason for his summons. He really didn’t know what to think about this request or what was the subject matter. He rushed down to the FBI Office as soon as he could. He was immediately asked if he had written the letter. After looking at it he stated he had written the letter and a discussion then ensued about his complaint. He explained the situation to the agent confronting him and stated that he could not get into the class because of his skin color. After a long discussion Bivens left the Federal Building.
In less than two weeks later, he received a message from the Vocational Director of the Bibb County School System. He was encouraged to go to night school at the white school and meet individually with the instructor there who would relay to him what they discussed in the day class. Bert Bivens refused this option.
Later, in June of 1963, an article appeared in the Macon newspaper stating that the school board was having a meeting to decide what they were going to do as far as letting Bert Bivens into the school. It also mentioned that the school could lose Federal funding over this particular issue. The County Vocational Director later called Bert Bivens and allowed him to attend the vocational class in electronics that was offered at Dudley Hughes High School, set up by Robins Air Force Base apprentice program. And, now you know, the rest of the story is history.
