How the 1954 Brown decision still influences today’s teaching ranks
Education has always played a crucial role in Leslie Fenwick’s life.
The dean emerita of the school of education at Howard University in Washington, D.C., and professor of education policy says that her parents were adamantly opposed to segregationist policies. They also taught her about Black educator excellence, a story she wasn’t taught in school.
Dr. Fenwick’s most recent book, “Jim Crow’s Pink Slip: The Untold Story of Black Principal and Teacher Leadership,” published earlier this year, tells the story of highly qualified Black educators displaced during school integration efforts. The book presents historical evidence showing that following the landmark 1954 U.S. Supreme Court case, Brown v. Board of Education, which ended segregation in schools, nearly 100,000 Black educators were dismissed
