Black Woman Finally Named Valedictorian 38 Years After High School Snubbed Her

By Abigail Adams via https://people.com/

Tracey Meares was officially recognized as the valedictorian of her graduating class after a screening of the new documentary No Title for Tracey, which tells her story

A Black woman has finally been named valedictorian of her Illinois high school 38 years after she was snubbed.

Tracey Meares was 17 when she topped her class at Springfield High School in 1984, setting her up to become the school’s first Black valedictorian, according to The State Journal-Register. That same year, the school opted to instead honor the top-performing students of the year, forgoing the traditional valedictorian and salutatorian titles.

Meares was officially recognized as the valedictorian of her graduating class after a screening of the new documentary No Title for Tracey on Saturday, according to The Guardian and The State Journal-Register.

Meares, a professor and legal expert at Yale College of Law, told the Journal-Register that she “had a lot of trepidation about coming back here and meeting my 17-year-old self.”

“My first reaction is that it’s incredibly gratifying, but it’s also a lot to process,” Meares added. “It’s the metaphor of a dry sponge. When you pour…

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