Oral Histories of Shared Capital: African American Teachers and Students Before, During, and After Desegregation

• In Event: 41.074 - Educational Gatekeepers: How Capital and Organizational Structures Endorse or Impede Equal Opportunities

Abstract

Oral history can be defined as a dying art. Once the participant passes so do their insights that cannot be fully appreciated through a secondary account. Captured in this study are the voices of three African American women in my family who attended public schools in Arkansas before, during, and after segregation and the social and cultural capital deposited by their African American teachers that helped them maneuver through that journey.

This qualitative research approach features the vocal lenses of these former students to reveal proactive teacher influences witnessed during the early to mid 1900s. While their individual educational journeys varied, their personal experiences paint a rich story marked with humor, resilience, and community. These recollections of teacher influences through oral histories identifies emerging themes to inform cultural diversity strategies to leapfrog us closer to the goal of achieving the promise of equal educational opportunity.

Author

• Gina M. Newton, The University of Redlands