Starting the Bandwagon: A Historiography of African American Mothers' Leadership during Voluntary School Desegregation, 1954-1971

Abstract

In this article, the author presents a historiography that considers the leadership that African American women, particularlymothers, played in U.S. school desegregation. Discussion moves beyond offering a political analysis of school integration politicsthat is male centered, bounded by a legalistic frame, or steeped within general discussions of the political clashes betweenintegrationists and segregationists to recast significant historical events through a more nuanced womanist lens. Literature isreviewed and archival data from 1954 to 1971 are marshaled to shed light on why and how African American motherscontributed to the school desegregation movement, particularly in Greensboro, NC. The author suggests what lessons can begleaned from the mothers' legacy to extend conceptualizations of transformative educational leadership.

Black adolescents’ motivation to resist the false dichotomy between mathematics achievement and racial identity

“…It may be that adolescent girls of color are already well practiced at coping with prejudice in mathematics classrooms because they have faced gender as well as racial stereotypes in mathematics in the past. One thing is certain: African-American women, who were among the first to educate ex-slaves 74 , 75 and were deeply involved in the struggle for school desegregation 19 , may have much to teach us about resistance and fighting for educational opportunity.…”

“…Despite its evolution over time, school segregation has ultimately resulted in unequal school resources and opportunities for Black children 18 . However, during the desegregation movement, Black parents were aptly concerned about the psychological and emotional costs their children would face as a result of discrimination within newly integrated schools 19 .…”

Past due! Racializing aspects of situated expectancy-value theory through the lens of critical race theory.

“…Not only did Black American students have to leave learning environments where they had Black educators who affirmed their identities, cultural values, and intellect, but also they had to now integrate into schools where they were unwanted, underrepresented, alienated, and undertaught among predominantly White students, teachers, and staff. Throughout the evolution of segregation over time (i.e., from de jure to de facto segregation, Reardon & Owens, 2014), this tension persists today where many Black students and their families must decide between attending local public schools in community with racial-ethnic peers where the educational resources and instructional quality are typically diminished versus selecting into stronger education opportunities through magnet, specialized, or private schools where they are typically underrepresented and endure alienating racial stressors and psychological trauma among predominantly White students and educators (Oakes, 2008; C. M. Wilson, 2014).…”