Chester I. Lewis Academic Learning Center holds three distinct programs catering to diverse student needs: Wichita Alternative High School, Wichita Adult Learning Center, and Wichita Transitions Learning Center.
These schools help students whose unique circumstances and challenges make traditional schooling impractical. Without these options, many of these students would be dropouts.
The roots of the three schools can be traced back to the 1970s. Social unrest and a race riot at Heights High School, prompted efforts to prevent further problems. This led to the creation of an alternative school. At the same time, the Wichita School Board was looking into alternative schooling. These efforts resulted in Metro Boulevard Alternative High School in 1971 and Metro Meridian in 1979.
Chester I Lewis Jr was born on August 8, 1929, in Hutchinson, KS. His family worked on The Hutchinson Blade newspaper.
Courtesy: City of Wichita
Lewis went to the University of Kansas where he met his future wife, Jackie. He graduated third in his class and was one of 40 black students out of 10,000 at the university in the class of 1953.
He and Jackie moved to Wichita, right after graduation.
The following are a very few highlights, in a very long and important career.
1953 – Filed the lawsuit to allow Black people to use Wichita city swimming pools.
1954 – Part of the legal team that argued Brown vs. Topeka BOE in front of the U.S. Supreme Court.
1958 – He was a lawyer and mentor for the youth that staged what many believe to be the first “sit-in” at the Dockum Drug Store.
Courtesy; University of Kansas
1961- Divorced Jackie, and married Vashti Crutcher.
1963 – To break housing segregation, he had a white friend buy a house in white-only neighborhood, and sign it over to him, living there despite threats and the KKK burning crosses in his yard.
1965- Represented those who lost family and homes in the Piatt plane crash.
Lewis died on June 15, 1990, at the age of 61 from cancer. His memorial service at Coleman Middle School was attended by 500 people. According to findagrave.com, Mr. Lewis’ final resting place is unknown.
Courtesy: University of Kansas
On June 23, 1990, The Wichita Eagle wrote, “The name Chester Lewis was synonymous with the civil rights movement in Kansas and – as a guiding force in the NAACP – in the nation.” Adding, “When the final draft of America’s great civil rights struggle is written, though, one of the giant figures striding across its pages will be Chester Lewis.”
Metro Boulevard was closed, and the program moved to the Chester Lewis building in 2011. Metro Meridian followed suit in 2014.
To learn about other Wichita schools, check out: Be true to your school.