Unsung Legacies of Educators and Events in African American Education

By Nicole A. Taylor

This book describes the contributions of twenty-two educators and events that have shaped the field of education, often receiving little to no public recognition, including: Edmonia Godelle Highgate, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Selena Sloan Butler, Alonzo Aristotle Crim, Sabbath Schools, and African American Boarding Schools. These individuals and events have established and sustained education in communities across the United States. This book will help foster a renewed sense of importance both for those considering teaching and for teachers in classrooms across the country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Release date: Jan 7, 2019
• ISBN: 9783319901282

Book preview

© The Author(s) 2019

Andrea D. Lewis and Nicole A. Taylor (eds.)Unsung Legacies of Educators and Events in African American Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90128-2_1

1. Introduction

Nicole A. Taylor¹   and Andrea D. Lewis¹  

(1)

Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, USA

Nicole A. Taylor (Corresponding author)

Email: [e-mail]

Andrea D. Lewis

Email: [e-mail]

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:

[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)

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.

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

Part IIndividual Achievements

© The Author(s) 2019

Andrea D. Lewis and Nicole A. Taylor (eds.)Unsung Legacies of Educators and Events in African American Educationhttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90128-2_2

2. Nannie Helen Burroughs (1883–1961)

Meredith Cooper Brown¹   and Nicole A. Taylor¹  

(1)

Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, USA

Meredith Cooper Brown (Corresponding author)

Email: [e-mail]

Nicole A. Taylor

Email: [e-mail]

Introduction

In today’s society , African American women such as Oprah Winfrey and former first lady Michelle Obama are known for educational programs such as Academy for Girls and Let Girls Learn, respectively. However, before these remarkable women’s impact in the field of education, there was a prominent individual by the name of Nannie Helen Burroughs. Burroughs was a pioneer and an outspoken activist for social justice in the African American community. She had a God-ordained passion for ensuring that African American women and girls received not just any education, but an education that could be used to elevate them in society. With her passion for academic excellence for African American women and girls, Burroughs founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C. (Brade, 2008). Despite the prominence of the school and its significance for African American woman and girls, Burroughs’ pioneering works have become lost in history as few know of her accomplishments. The following sheds light on the life and work of Nannie Helen Burroughs known as a radical womanist educator.

The following quote describes the type of message Nannie Helen Burroughs portrayed through her life. The people do not apply my teachings. When I speak, they agree with me, laugh, give me standing ovations and applauds, but that’s the end of it. Perhaps when I am dead, if someone will share my teachings with them, they might apply them. If so, they will improve themselves economically, intellectually, politically, and socially, and this will make them first-class citizens. I leave this responsibility to you (Author unknown, n.d.).

This quote portrays the type of character and behavior she embodied when faced with obstacles throughout her educational career and life, and led to her inclusion in this book. The obstacles Burroughs faced were influenced by the social and political climate of her day. However, her struggles and triumphs are relatable even now, to aspiring and practicing teachers. As we desire to uplift African American teachers through the stories of those such as Nannie Helen Burroughs, her legacy lends to the importance of our responsibility in preparing children to become citizens who are thought-makers, leaders, and socially conscious. Especially, in today’s society Burroughs’ approach to enduring racial tension and defeat is a lesson for educators alike.

Biographical Information

Nannie Helen Burroughs was born in Orange, Virginia, to former slaves John and Jennie Burroughs around 1879. Even though Burroughs’ father died when she was young, she knew him to be a preacher and a farmer. Her mother, Jennie, worked as a domestic worker. When Burroughs was around five years of age, her mother relocated she and her sister to Washington, D.C., to live with Jennie’s older sister Cordelia. Her purpose in moving was in an effort to provide them with a better option for schooling. While information about Burroughs’ primary schooling is limited, it is known that during that time period she lost both her father and sister. In addition, many of the relatives they associated with were living in impoverished situations. Therefore, from early on Burroughs dealt with various difficulties and disappointments that served as stepping-stones to her eventual accomplishments (Perkins, 1997). It is known that Burroughs attended M Street High School for her secondary schooling. M Street High School was described as the training ground for the next generation of the Talented Tenth. The Talented Tenth, as described by Dr. William Edward Burghardt Du Bois, was composed of African Americans in the early twentieth century who had exceptional talent and the opportunity to go on to higher education. M Street High School enrolled some of the best African American educators known to the United States, such as Dr. Anna Julia Cooper and Mary Church Terrell. Cooper and Terrell were among the first African American educators who taught with an increased focus on a liberal arts education and challenges to segregation (Stewart, 2011). African American students at M Street High School were well known for surpassing Caucasian high school students in the local area on standardized tests, often with fewer resources. The curriculum offered a science track, which was considered the most rigorous of all its academic sequences. Despite the difficulty of the scientific track, Burroughs chose this as her course of study.

While in high school, Burroughs began preparing to be a teacher by not only excelling in her rigorous scientific academic track but also being active in extracurricular activities. Burroughs started the first girls’ literacy society, the Harriet Beecher Stowe Literary, named in honor of the abolitionist and author (Taylor, 2002). She started this society with the purpose to improve her and her peers’ literary and oratorical expression. As a result of her hard work and dedication, she was able to graduate from M Street High School in 1896 with honors, with the hope of becoming an educator in the District of Columbia.

Burroughs experienced both academic and spiritual transformations while in high school. Burroughs underwent a spiritual metamorphosis into Christianity, and in response to this conversion, she joined the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church. Several families who attended Nineteenth Street Baptist Church also had teens who were Burroughs’ peers at M Street High School. The church was known for having some of Washington, D.C.’s most elite, wealthiest, and educated Black families as its members (Taylor, 2002). The members were also known for snubbing Blacks who were darker in skin tone, from the working class, or had coarsely textured hair. Furthermore, due to the higher socioeconomic status of the members who attended Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, education was incorporated into the foundation of this church through having a library, and having graded Bible study lessons (Brooks, 1988). Despite the presence of classism, colorism, and elitism at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church, Burroughs remained an active member and thus developed an increased focus on education. For example, she served as the librarian, secretary of the Young People’s Society of Christian Endeavor, and a Sunday school teacher.

After graduating from high school, Burroughs made her first attempt to become a teacher in Washington, D.C. Burroughs was hopeful that she would be hired as a teacher because so many of the church members at Nineteenth Street Baptist Church held important positions in the school system. In addition to knowing so many distinguished educators, she was also promised a job. However, the same members of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church who held these prominent positions and promised her a job denied Burroughs a teaching position. Initially Burroughs was told she was denied a teaching position because she was too young and had no experience. However, it was later discovered that she was denied the teaching position because she was too dark and had no social clout in the community (Perkins, 1997). This experience was met with great disappointment for Burroughs, but she used it to prepare her for what was to come next.

Despite the setback of not being offered a job, Burroughs continued to persevere. During this moment of disappointment, it is said that Burroughs promised herself that she would one day have a school in Washington, D.C. that would not be influenced by politics. She desired to provide girls with a