The Clinton 12 & the Murder of Adrianne Reynolds

Adrianne Reynolds had a tumultuous childhood. But when she turned 16, she moved to East Moline, Illinois to live with her adoptive father and stepmother, and it seemed that Adrianne was on steady ground. She began working toward her GED at Black Hawk College Outreach Center, got a job at a fast food chain, and did chores around the house. She even made a few friends. At least, she thought they were her friends.

Then Kristin tells us about the first court-ordered integration of a public school in the South. Black students had limited options in Clifton, Tennessee. The local school for black students lacked the resources of the white students’ public school. Plus, it only taught children through the eighth grade. If a black student in Clifton wanted to attend middle or high school, they had to be bussed to a school in Knoxville. On top of that, their parents had to pay tuition. To add insult to injury, most of the black folks in Clifton lived just a few yards away from Clifton High School. So, in 1950, a brave group of black students and their families fought the local school board for their right to equal education.

And now for a note about our process. For each episode, Kristin reads a bunch of articles, then spits them back out in her very limited vocabulary. Brandi copies and pastes from the best sources on the web. And sometimes Wikipedia. (No shade, Wikipedia. We love you.) We owe a huge debt of gratitude to the real experts who covered these cases.

The documentary, “The Clinton 12”

“The Clinton Desegregation Crisis,” Blackpast.org

“Clinton Desegregation Crisis,” by Carroll Van West for Tennessee Encyclopedia

“The Clinton High School Desegregation Case,” by Linda T. Wynn for the Nashville Conference on African American History and Culture

“Forgotten Heroes: Lessons from School Integration in a Small Southern Community,” by Whitney Elizabeth Cate for East Tennessee State University

“Sarah Kolb” episode Snapped

“Circle of Friends” episode Dateline

“Sarah Kolb Part 1” True Crime Family: Killer Profile, podcast episode

“Sarah Kolb Part 2” True Crime Family: Killer Profile, podcast episode

“Sarah Anne Kolb” murderpedia.org

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