Following the 1954 Supreme Court order to desegregate schools, North Carolinian political leaders went on the defensive. Governor Hodges spoke to the people through the radio on August 8, 1955. In his speech, he claimed the school system could not operate on an integrated basis. He stated that forced integration would compel the State Assembly to dismantle the entire public school system in the state. By declaring such bold measures, Hodges held his own state hostage in the wake of the Brown decision. He went on to justify his opinions in an appeal to African Americans to maintain “voluntary segregation” and to ignore outside agitators (the NAACP). He stated the reordering of the school system would “destroy your identity as a race” and encouraged them to “take pride in your race by attending your own schools.”