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Longtime resident accuses Chilton County Schools of racial discrimination, demands $400 million
Summary
Robert R. Shelby told the Chilton County Schools board he has witnessed decades of discrimination, urged the superintendent to "make wrong right," said he will notify courts in Montgomery and the 11th Circuit, and requested $400 million in damages and more public recognition of Martin Luther King Jr.
Robert R. Shelby, who said he has lived in Chilton County for more than 65 years, used a five-minute public-comment slot at the May 18 Chilton County Schools board meeting to accuse the district of long-standing racial discrimination and to demand reparations.
"My name is Robert R. Shelby," he told the board, then described what he called a pattern of Black community members being "passed over" since a consent decree some 48 years ago. Shelby said he is asking the superintendent and future leaders "to make wrong right" and that he will send letters to courts in Montgomery and the 11th Circuit seeking redress. He asked the board to place reminders of Martin Luther King Jr. on school billboards and requested $400 million for "everyone that's has been passed over."
The board did not engage in a formal response during the meeting; a board member briefly thanked Shelby after his remarks. Shelby also described workplace grievances affecting family members and said he intends to pursue the matter in court if the board does not act. The board took no immediate action on his requests during the session.
Why it matters: Shelby's comments raise issues of equity and personnel practice that could prompt further board review or legal action. He tied his concerns to historical remedies (a consent decree) and asked for a monetary remedy and public recognition measures.
What happened next: The meeting proceeded to its business agenda; no motion or board directive to staff addressing Shelby's allegations was recorded in the transcript.
