Local Stories: Documenting a History of Black Teachers as Stewards of Progress

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 3:35 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Part II: Excavating Black Teacher Historiographies and the Need for Archival Justice in Educational Equity (Table 7)

Abstract

Stewardship has often been described as entrusting the care and management of something of great importance to someone of trust. Historically, the Black community has acknowledged the connection between education and sociocultural mobility
(Anderson, 1988; Robinson 2000). For the enslaved Black person, literacy meant freedom (Anderson, 1988; Ayers 2007; Williams 2007). Thus, those who had access to knowledge were revered within their respective communities (Gundaker 2007). In turn as history progressed Black educators were seen as the gatekeepers to educational attainment (Givens, 2020, 2022, 2023). Although the importance of Black educators is noted, unfortunately little is known about the historiographies and contribution of those that worked within Colored Teacher Associations (Siddle Walker, 2018). Much of this is by design due to the danger associated with being attached to educational organizations that fought for equality and the advancement of Black education (Givens, 2022). Yet, many of these leaders have been memorialized through the naming of local institutions or the creation of statues (Agosto, Kyobe, and Elam 2017).
This presentation looks to utilize Colored Teacher Associations Journals and other primary sources to highlight the educational lives, achievements and contributions of two prominent Black South Carolina educators (Joseph Brown Beck and Joseph Elbert Beck). Thus this paper looks to engage in the process of utilizing archival research and historical methods in an effort to use research to remedy and repair the exclusion of absent narratives of local Black educators.

As stewards they were entrusted with the responsibility of being proponents of Black education within their state and local areas of influence. The concept of progress can best be seen in the familial legacy of the Beck family and their contributions to the field of education. J.B.Beck was a prominent Black teacher and principal in Georgetown, SC for over 50 years. He was an active member of the various South Carolina colored teacher associations from 1908-1949, holding various roles within the organization. J.E. Beck (the son of J.B. Beck) was a renowned Black teacher and principal of Sterling High School in Greenville, SC. He was an outstanding proponent for the advancement of Black education and an active member of the National Education Association (NEA) and the American Teachers Association (ATA). The accomplishments of these two individuals show that leadership and insight on shaping Black education was passed from father to son. In turn, their ability to uplift those around them and promote the ideals of equality, unity, and success were seen in their contributions to the communities in which they lived.

Author

• Brandon J. Beck, Univeristy of Maryland Baltimore County