Black Excellence in the Segregated North: Gary, Indiana’s Roosevelt High School

• In Event: For the Culture: Black Self-Determination and Schooling

Abstract

This paper includes findings from archival research and 16 oral history interviews of alumni of Roosevelt High School, a historically Black school in Gary, Indiana through the lens of valued segregated schools. Alumni from the graduation classes of 1960 to 1984 reveal how principal leadership, high-quality faculty, families, and community collectively created and maintained an ethos of Black excellence. This ethos supported positive racial identity development and served as a foundation for rigorous academics, high expectations, and the pursuit of a range of post-secondary education and career opportunities. Interviews and archival research revealed that characteristics of valued segregated schools were evident in the school and community, including strong principal leadership, exemplary teachers, engaging curriculum and extracurricular activities, and community/parental support.

Author

• Kendra Lowery, Ball State University