A Struggle: African American Educational Strivings in 19th-Century Columbus, Ohio

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 11:25 am
  In Roundtable Session: Black Educational Journeys: From Historical Strivings to Integration Narratives (Table 21)

Abstract

When historians of education examined the educational strivings of African American people, they often frame it as a southern experience. The cases of Roberts and others indicate free Blacks' push for equitable schooling occurred during the 19th century in northeastern communities before the Civil War. Educational historian Christopher Span (2015) argued historians of education should “continue to ask and answer questions related to the nineteenth century educational experience of African Americans (p. 27).” Most research on Blacks' educational experience in the 19th century has continued to focus on the northeastern/southern experience. This 19th century historical case study alters our understanding of African American strivings for education in an urban Midwest city, Columbus, Ohio: a departure from current research.

Author

• Adah L. Ward Randolph, Ohio University