John T. Morgan Academy, commonly known as Morgan Academy, is a private school in Selma, Alabama. Established in June 1965 as a segregation academy,[3][4][1] the school was named after Confederate general and Ku Klux Klan leader John Tyler Morgan.[5][6][7] The institution remained segregated for over forty years after its founding and did not admit its first black student until 2008, a decision that sparked protests by hundreds of parents and the resignation of a board member.[8] As of 2024, the student body is reportedly 96% White, and less than 1% is Black.[9]
Throughout the 1970s, the school was denied federal tax-exempt status for excluding Black students.[15] In 1982, the Reagan administration directed the Internal Revenue Service to restore federal tax exemptions for racially discriminatory institutions such as John T. Morgan Academy, a decision which drew national criticism for reinforcing segregation.[15] At the time, the school's enrollment consisted of about 700 white students, with no Black students admitted since its opening in 1965.[15]
In 2008, after 41 years, the school desegregated and admitted its first black student.[8] The decision sparked protests involving some 500 parents and prompted the resignation of a board member.[16] After two years at Morgan, the black student departed for a public elementary school.[16]
Circa 2024, the school reportedly had an enrollment of 333 students, of whom 96% were White, 1.2% Asian or Asian/Pacific Islander, 1.2% Hispanic/Latino, and 0.9% Black or African American.[9] The surrounding Dallas County in which the school is located is 70% Black and 27% White.[17]
1 2 Berman 2015: "Morgan Academy, a segregated private school founded by whites three months after Bloody Sunday."
1 2 Tuttle 2016: "Administrators are quick to acknowledge that Morgan, like most other private schools in the area, began as a response to desegregation."
1 2 Berman 2015: "Morgan was named after Alabama Senator John Tyler Morgan, a general and a grand dragon of the KKK in the 1870s."
Davis, Susan Lawrence (1924). Authentic History Ku Klux Klan, 1865–1877. New York: Anonymous Publisher. pp.45, 56, 59. LCCN24004514– via Internet Archive. General James H. Clanton of Montgomery was the first Grand Dragon of the Realm of Alabama Ku Klux Klan, and continued in this capacity until his death, when General John T. Morgan was elected in his place, and served until 1876.
"Rogers' Voice and Thad Stevens". The Montgomery Advertiser (Thursdayed.). Montgomery, Alabama. February 4, 1960. p.4. Retrieved September 5, 2025– via Newspapers.com. The first leader of the Klan in this state was Gen. James H. Clanton, for whom one of our fine towns is named. And on his death, the leadership passed to Alabama's Gen. John Tyler Morgan.
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