In this interactive timeline, students explore the roles that everyday citizens, political leaders, and the courts have played in the struggle to integrate public schools throughout the United States. Find Classroom Resource at PBS LearningMedia
Examine a series of images and a video related to one U.S. city’s school integration history in order to determine where this event occurred and to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the extent to which school integration efforts were similar across the nation. Find Classroom Resource at PBS LearningMedia
Discover how Black parents in Boston, faced with White resistance to school integration after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, undertook a series of grassroots organizing efforts to advocate for their children’s fair and equal education. Find Classroom Resource at PBS LearningMedia
Learn why it took decades to integrate public schools even after the Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision and how local communities and school boards delayed and obstructed compliance with court integration orders. Find Classroom Resource at PBS LearningMedia
In 1961, identical twin sisters Sheila Malone-Conway and Sharon Malone were part of a group of students in Memphis, Tennessee, who integrated previously all-white schools. Known as the “Memphis 13,” these African American students were all enrolled as first graders. From Nashville, Tennessee, Sheila Malone-Conway and Sharon Malone talked about their experience.
In this recording, Destiny McLurkin interviews her mother Diane Hayes Powers, who grew up in Seattle during the city’s desegregation of its schools. Diane recalls the efficiency with which Seattle enforced integration after Brown v. Board of Education was decided, and the resistance by white parents to the initial busing plan. Diane also describes the community education efforts - including “freedom schools” - that were organized in response to racial educational inequality.
In this recording, Chapin Montague interviews Chika Offurum about her early years. Chika, who comes from a family of educators, remembers the importance placed on education in her family when she was a child. She began attending public school in the 4th grade in Westchester, NY, and recalls the harsh structure imposed on her there. She also shares how the uniformity of her classmates made her feel more isolated during the transition.
In this recording, Diane Buxton interviews Chris Hardenbergh, a Hyde Park native who attended elementary and middle school in Roxbury. Chris, who was bused from the time he was in kindergarten, tells of his mother’s determination to support school integration, and the intimidation he faced from residents who threw rocks and bottles at passing buses.
In this recording, consultant Leslie “Skip” Griffin interviews community activist and former Boston Public School teacher Judith Baker on the segregation and endemic corruption in staffing she encountered during her tenure. Skip also contributes his experiences as an appointee of Judge W. Arthur Garrity in implementing the integration plan in Boston schools.
In this recording, special education teachers Will Yadron and Tiffany Woods speak about their experiences developing new curricula for students while demographics and funding continue to shift. Will and Tiffany address disparate test scores in underfunded schools. They also reflect on the unique challenges and pushback they faced in developing new opportunities for learning among students with specific educational needs and backgrounds.
In this recording, assistant principal Terry Batey and principal Sandra Shimon explore Terry’s evolution from a Chicago Public Schools student to an administrator. Terry shares his mission of improving student service, and Sandra recalls how Terry’s example shaped her approach to balancing the demands of staff and parents with the needs of students. Terry also examines how achieving educational equity requires growth among adults as well as students.
