Suppressed Curriculum Histories and Emerging Futures of Desegregation: Experiences of African American Educators and Students

• In Event: 42.029 - Then and Now: Grappling With Race in Psyche and Society

Abstract

This paper highlights the findings of a study into the oral histories of African American educators, administrators, and students in Kansas City, Missouri who formed the legacy and struggle for educational equity during the school district’s desegregation era (1971-1997). We discuss their experiences during the era of desegregation in Kansas City, Missouri and present video clips of some of their experiential stories as an example of the suppressed histories and emerging futures of the curriculum commonplaces of the teacher, the student, the subject matter, and the milieu. We further share the action-oriented scholarship process used to design and launch a public website with related curricular materials aimed at documenting African Americans’ quest for equal educational opportunities.

Authors

• Candace M. Schlein, University of Missouri - Kansas City

• Jennifer Ingrid Friend, Rockhurst University

• Loyce E. Caruthers, The University of Missouri-Kansas City