How an Unlikely Friendship Changed Durham's Schools Forever

Ann Atwater was a determined activist who fought for school integration in Durham, North Carolina. Born into poverty, she became a key figure in the 1971 effort to desegregate the city’s schools. Her partnership with former Ku Klux Klan leader C.P. Ellis led to an unlikely friendship—and a major shift in local attitudes. Atwater was born on July 1, 1935, in Hillsboro, North Carolina, to sharecroppers struggling to make ends meet. By age 14, she had married French Wilson and soon gave birth to two daughters, Lydia and Marilyn. Life remained hard: she worked as a maid for just 30 cents an hour before turning to Social Services for support. At one point, she fell $100 behind on rent and could only afford meals of rice, cabbage, and gravy.

Her fortunes changed when she met Howard Fuller, who helped her repair her home, clear her debts, and find her calling in community organising. Known for her relentless spirit, Atwater refused to take 'no' for an answer, especially when it came to racial equality. In 1971, she was chosen to co-lead a charrette on integrating Durham’s schools. Her co-chair was C.P. Ellis, a local Ku Klux Klan leader. Despite their opposing views, the two worked together and ultimately decided to push for school integration. In a powerful public moment, Ellis tore up his Klan membership card. Their bond lasted long after the charrette, with the pair remaining close until Ellis’s death in 2005.

Atwater’s work left a lasting mark on Durham. The schools were successfully integrated, and her partnership with Ellis showed how dialogue could bridge deep divides. Though she faced hardship early in life, her persistence reshaped her community for decades to come.