Disrupting a Lesson: Silences in the New York Fiscal Crisis of 1975

• In Event: A New York State of Mind: Local Struggles for Equitable Education

Abstract

Stories are about power, and the New York Fiscal Crisis is just that, a story. This paper analyzes the impressions left by the unauthorized remnants of documents mistakenly included in the archive. Like Trouillot’s (1995) analysis of the Haitian Revolution, I trace the interplay of power through time and space from the source, the archive, the narrative, and the history of the fiscal crisis as experienced in Harlem. Rather than entering the archive with a story in mind, I entered looking for a compelling story. What I found were handwritten lesson plans on the backs of discarded communiqués from a school experiencing the crisis. The accidental inclusion of one such document raises questions about the archive and white supremacy.

Author

• Seth A. McCall, Teachers College, Columbia University