Apostles for Change: Leadership Roles of African American Principals in the Urban South, 1918–1968

• In Event: Politics of Memory and Race

Abstract

Abstract
This research extends the historical scholarship on how Black public school principals advocated for equality in public education and social justice. The principals led public schools in the largest urban area of the South, New Orleans, Louisiana. Their tenures covered the period 1918-1968. This study used the historical ethnography method to analyze personal and organizational records, documents, and other ephemera from public archives. It addressed (a) religious influence, (b) belief in American democratic ideals, (c) activism in professional, civic, and social organizations, and (d) interracial cooperation. Results indicate that political, social, and economic conditions affected the tactics that the leaders employed. However, they were steadfast in their public and private advocacy of equality in public education and social justice.

Author

• Gregory D. Martin