African Americans at Simley High School

Inver Grove Heights is home to a majority of white residents compared to the minority groups of Black, Hispanic, and other BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) residents. Racial segregation and discrimination were very common for African Americans and minorities. Ever since slaves were brought over to North America, native-born Americans struggled with accepting a person of a different color. Following World War II, suburbs across the United States appeared in the outskirts of cities, in contrast to diverse urban areas, which many regarded as a ghetto while white families moved into cookie cutter homes. 

As Simley has become more diverse (55% white in 2022, according to U.S. News and World Report), reflective of broader changes in Inver Grove Heights since the 1990s, BIPOC students have experienced into hurdles and road blocks. Contemporary, normalized forms of racism like blackface in the school theater program had, by the early 1990s, given way to complaints of racism and threats to minorities in the Inver Grove community.

Simley took action in response to these and other concerns. In 1993 the school hired Hamilton Bell as its diversity specialist. Bell educated Simley students and staff about the importance of diversity. During his employment, Bell recalled, he faced discrimation from co-workers and parents, noted that his race may have prevented his promotion to vice principal. His efforts at Simley left an impact on students and the community by promoting diversity and having a greater acceptance of minorities in the education system.

The stories of racism and diversity at Simley High School reveal the changing face of Inver Grove Heights, as well as steps taken in public education to acknowledge the complexity of diversity in a Minnesota suburb.