Loyalty Oaths, Academic Freedom, and the Teachers Union: Mary Barker Takes a Stand

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 5:25 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 1
  In Roundtable Session: Resisting Constraints: Academic Freedom, Teacher Unions, and the Fight for Democracy (Table 2)

Abstract

This paper explores the teacher union leadership of Mary Barker (1879-1963) in Atlanta, Georgia. This historical research highlights Barker and her ideas about democratic education, particularly regarding to teacher loyalty oaths and academic freedom. Barker, whose ideas closely align with those of John Dewey, wrestled with restrictions on teachers’ civil liberties from the World War I period and throughout the remainder of her career. In the South, loyalty oaths and repression of academic freedoms were tied to segregated education, and Barker had deep concerns about this. Her arguments and tactics of resistance may serve today’s educators well, as we face ‘divisive concepts’ and other politically motivated constrictions.

Author

• JoAnn Wood, Georgia State University