Uncovering Black Education's Red Clay Potters: Examining the Community Impact of Jeanes Teachers, 1907-1968

• In Event: Black Leadership, Faith, and Educational Transformation

Abstract

This historical study examines the community impact of Jeanes Teachers, rural Black educators funded by the Jeanes Fund from 1907-1968 (Jones, 1937; Fairclough, 2007). Despite extensive scholarship on Black education history, limited research explores how these teachers functioned as community catalysts beyond classroom instruction (Anderson, 1988; Walker, 1996). Using Critical Race Theory (Ladson-Billings, 1998) and Community Cultural Wealth frameworks (Yosso, 2005), this study analyzes archival records and oral histories to understand how Jeanes Teachers facilitated community development and economic empowerment. Findings reveal teachers served as institutional bridges while fostering local leadership (Hoffschwelle, 2006). This research contributes to Black education scholarship by illuminating teacher-community partnership models with implications for contemporary community schools and educational equity initiatives (Warren et al., 2009).

Author

• Brittney Kilgore, University of Georgia