It seems unbelievable and unjust that only 7 percent of teachers in America are African American (National Center for Education Statistics, 2016). This is especially poignant because it has been 57 years since Ruby Bridges bravely integrated the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans and 63 years since the federally mandated integration of schools after Brown v. Board of Education. According to a 2015 study by the Albert Shanker Institute, there has been a decline of African American teachers across the nation. At least 26,000 African American principals, teachers, guidance counselors, athletic coaches, and school support staff have departed from the profession from 2002 to 2012. This significant departure of educators impacts African American children in various ways, which include African American teachers’ ability to successfully engage and educate African American children in a way that draws on their strengths and resilience. In a time where educators of color are few, this book draws on the strength, determination, and amazing legacies that demonstrate commitment to the field of education and the critical need for more like-minded African American educators to pave the journey to success.
Unsung Legacies of Educators and Events in African American History explores the contributions of 22 African American educators, events, and institutions that have played a prominent role in the field of education, and some within our own personal lives and professional careers. Although the names highlighted in this book may be familiar to some, many included have had lesser or no recognition. Yet, they have led to the establishment and sustaining of education in African American communities in the United States and beyond.
The book is divided into three parts and provides both biographical and research-based explorations of the highlighted African American educators, events, and institutions. The editors provide a personal narrative to explain why educators, events, and institutions were selected for inclusion in the book. Furthermore, each chapter offers a critical and timely analysis of the role each educator, event, and institution had in the growth and development of education in America.
Part I, Individual Achievements, gives the stories of 12 African American educators who were active in the field of education. The individuals included within this section were chosen based on the prominent roles they have played in the field of education, yet their stories have remained hidden from the field’s dominant history. Their achievements range from co-founding national organizations (National
Parent Teacher Association), to creating national scholarship programs (United Negro College Fund), to being committed advocates for the educational, health, and social rights of African American children. Regardless of their roles, all have contributed significantly to the field of education’s growth and development. The importance of this section is also the time period in which the individuals lived. Many were born either during or soon after the abolishment of slavery. Despite the various trials and disappointments the individuals faced due to being provided lesser and unequal opportunities in society, they rose above these challenges.
Part II presents Events, which within their respective time periods led to significant changes in policies and practices. As many are familiar with the Supreme Court’s rulings regarding Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, before this historical case there were other prominent court cases which were influential. Chapter 14 highlights court cases preceding Brown v. Board of Education which impacted the landmark decision regarding the integration of schools.
The momentous case, which made a permanent imprint in United States History, is represented on the cover of this book. Monroe Elementary School was one of four segregated schools for African American children in Topeka, Kansas. Linda Brown who became a plaintiff in Brown v. Board of Education attended Monroe Elementary School during the time of the trial. The school is one of the buildings located at the Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. In 1992, the United States Congress voted to establish the historic site to recognize the verdict’s importance. According to the National Park Service, the school sits on the former property of John Ritchie, an abolitionist who gave away sections of his land to African Americans and poor Whites after the Civil War. The sections of land became known as “Ritchie’s Addition” and were the locations of a Christian college; cemetery for African Americans and poor Whites who were not allowed in Topeka’s cemetery; and, Monroe Elementary, a school for African American children.
Part III concludes the book with Organizations and Institutions that shaped opportunities for African Americans in education. If one was to mention the terms Sabbath Schools, Intercommunal Youth Institute, or African American Boarding Schools, many may be unsure of their meanings. Yet, in the African American community, the aforementioned organizations and institutions set the precedence for expectations for authentic teaching methods, critical thinking, and holistic and student-centered learning experiences.
A distinct feature of this book is that within each chapter, along with the main authors, Dr. Andrea D. Lewis and Dr. Nicole A. Taylor, is the inclusion of student authors who are past or current education majors or minors of the Spelman College Education Department. The irony of Unsung Legacies of Educators and Events in African American History is that many of the student authors were initially unfamiliar with some of the educators and events mentioned in the book. Throughout their own schooling in the United States, in mainly predominately White communities, the individuals and events were never mentioned. This is a direct implication from the lack of culturally relevant instruction in schools across America. Students attending schools are taught from a White middle-class point of view, opposed to a multicultural lens which includes contributions of all people. It does not exclude or minimize the contributions of people of color. Our student authors, who are future educators and educational professionals, were able to experience the power and purpose of this book by addressing the critical need for students to understand their historical legacy and be encouraged by it. The power and agency provided to our students is the same spirit that we desire for readers to take away from this book. The contributions of the individuals, events, organizations, and institutions selected were intentional.
It is the intent for the primary audience for this book to be education professors and their students; however, an additional audience may include individuals who are seeking a greater knowledge base of educators and events in the African American community. We want the readers to take the determination, will power, and agency of this book to create change in their schools and communities. The chapters offer an introduction into the lives of unsung individuals and the rationale behind events and institutions. We hope that readers will use this knowledge to learn more about those documented and others who have paved the way.
Throughout the book, the terms Black and African American are used interchangeably, but have the same meaning. African American is the primary terminology used in the book to describe an ethnic group of Americans who are descendants of the African Diaspora. In some scenarios, the term Black is used for context, especially as it relates to history and names of organizations. For example, Black is used in discussing the Black Panther Party because a substitution would not be appropriate.
In closing, while we believe in the power of this publication, two literary giants reiterate the need for this book. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois’ 1903 classic, The Souls of Black Folk, posed a question to readers: “How does it feel to be a problem?” (p. 2). Du Bois elaborates on the necessity for African American writers and educators to roll up our sleeves and do the heavy lifting by researching and writing this information ourselves for ourselves and many generations to come. Similarly, Du Bois (1944) responded to the need for African American social scientists and historians:
With the same spirit, Langston Hughes (1941) wrote The Need for Heroes. He penned, “It is the social duty of Negro writers to reveal to the people the deep reservoirs of heroism within the race” (p. 223). Through Unsung Legacies, we are reclaiming our own histories, revealing our heroes, and sharing the knowledge to impact future educators who will change the world one child at a time, one community at a time, and with the fortitude of those who have come before us.[social science research] must begin with the near and known as a starting point; and then despite temptation, set goals of dispassionate and ruthless adherence to truth. It can no longer find scientific refuge in detachment from its subject matter; nor just as surely, none in refusal to regard its own personal problems as subjects of scientific investigation. (p. 6)
References
- Du Bois, W. E. B. (1903). The souls of Black folk. Chicago: A.C. McClurg & Company.
- Du Bois, W. E. B. (1944). Phylon: Science or propaganda. Phylon, 5(1), 5–9.
- Hughes, L. (1941). The need for heroes. The Crisis, 48(6), 184–185.
- National Center for Education Statistics. (2016). Back to school statistics. Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=372