Vanessa Venable was among those affected by the school closings in Prince Edward County, Virginia that lasted from 1959 until 1964. In the fall of 1959, the all-white school board closed the county's public schools rather than comply with a federal court order to desegregate. In this interview, Venable remembers the impact of the school closings on her family life, her children's education, and her own career as a teacher.