Only one day after a singing demonstration at a school board meeting, a second protest at the Peoria School Administration Building by the local NAACP resulted in six arrests.
The protest, once again led by John Gwynn, was intended to punctuate education frustrations that the NAACP made clear the day before at a school board meeting. Its outcome, however, was a cancellation of the school board’s previously promised special meeting with the NAACP. The meeting, set to take place the following week, was intended to allow the NAACP to voice recommendations for greater equality in the school system .
Peoria School Board President Leo Sullivan cancelled the meeting as a result of the second protest. He explained, “I did not object to the demonstration but I did object to the disturbing of peace. They came out to harass the office force Monday, and we felt after setting the special meeting date there would not need to be any more demonstrations.”
In response the arrests and controversy over the growing use of the term “black power,” John Gwynn stated: “Three or four guys said ‘black power’ and now everybody’s upset. The question is what’s your definition of power: supremacy or equal chance?”