Dr. James Ford grew up in Illinois and was bussed through a desegregation plan premised on the Supreme Court case, Swann v Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. He experienced an educational environment that felt unwelcoming, and, at time, outwardly hostile. Eventually landing in Charlotte as a teacher, he wanted to understand the history of the city and choices made by the people in power that led to him teaching in a highly segregated high school named after the superintendent who had overseen the nationally lauded desegregation plans of the 70s.
He joins us to share the history of Charlotte, and his current work at the Center for Racial Equity in Education.
Knowing the power of the Black educational tradition, and the documented impact of Black teachers on students, Sharif El-Mekki founded The Center for Black Educator Development to rebuild the Black educator pipeline that was crushed in the wake of desegregation attempts around the country. He joins us to discuss his work, and explain how it is rooted in a Black educational tradition that stretches back generations.
In Jim Crow’s Pink Slip, Dr. Leslie Fenwick tells the untold story of the 100,000 Black teachers and principals who were lost in the wake of desegregation attempts across the South. She joins us to talk about the book, her journey to writing it, and what understanding this untold history means for the ongoing quest for more teachers of color.
Local stories of desegregation hold the power to uplift those who fought for justice, the demands they made, and the ways we have failed to honor that work. Over the coming months we will be diving into several local stories, starting with Denver, CO and the court case, Keyes v School District No 1. Decided 50 years ago, the Keyes case was the first to try the standard set in Brown v Board outside of the South, resulting in massive changes both nationally and locally.
Local stories of desegregation hold the power to uplift those who fought for justice, the demands they made, and the ways we have failed to honor that work. Over the coming months we will be diving into several local stories, starting with Denver, CO and the court case, Keyes v School District No 1. Decided 50 years ago, the Keyes case was the first to try the standard set in Brown v Board outside of the South, resulting in massive changes both nationally and locally.
