Educating a Community: The Work of Black Teachers and Educators
Black Teachers Made the Difference
"[The Black teachers] were looked upon as gods."
- James Brittian, Northside Elementary and Lincoln High School alumnus
Prior to integration, Black students learned from Black teachers. Students felt that they had teachers whom they could trust, people who understood their experiences and looked out for their futures. Many Lincoln High School students credited Black teachers’ support for their success in school and emphasized the difference in support after integration.
From Desegregation to Demotion: Attacks on Black Educators
“Mr. McDougle when he went out to Chapel Hill High School they put him in charge of—they say he was an assistant principal, but he was in charge of books. You know they took a lot of responsibility away from some of the teachers, administrative staff.”
- Nate Davis, Chapel Hill High School alumnus
While integration was necessary, Black educators faced an assault on their labor with the desegregation of schools. As many white administrators kept their positions after integration, local governments demoted or dismissed Black administrators and Black teachers lost much of their authority in the school and in the classroom. This affected not only Black educators, but also their students, as many Black students lost the robust support system all-Black schools offered.
Supporting Black Students: Black Educators as Care Workers
“I got the sense that it was more than just a job to them. I really got the sense from my teachers that they cared about me.”
- Stanley Vickers, Chapel Hill High School alumnus
Teachers in Northside and the surrounding Black neighborhoods have been educators both in and outside of the classroom. They embedded themselves into the fabric of the community, becoming members of local churches, living in the neighborhoods, and checking in on students’ families. They created a network of support for Black students, who saw that their teachers cared about them.
A “Two-Way Street”: Community Support for Teachers
“One of the most difficult times I had was looking [after] and protecting teachers. I felt like that was my job. Man, you know, teachers need to have some independence to be able to do what they need to do, and I let them know that I was going to protect them.”
- Edwin Caldwell, Jr., Chapel Hill-Carrboro School Board member
The Black populations of Chapel Hill and Carrboro have supported educators and educational institutions since the establishment of the first Freedmen’s School in 1864. Since then, community members have continued to open Black-led primary and secondary schools. Over the course of generations, they also raised funds to maintain an eight-month school year, fought to integrate schools, and honored the legacy of educational upbuilding in the community. Together, community members have worked to make sure that children had access to a quality education.
Making It Work: On-the-Job Creativity of Black Teachers
“I would preface that by saying that our school was again so small that practically everyone had to do, I could say, had to play multiple roles because we simply did not have enough people to go around and to have the kinds of programs that we wanted to have.”
- James Atwater, Lincoln High School alumnus
Black teachers worked hard to make their students feel like they were getting an equal education to their white peers, even though they were working with fewer funds and often used materials coming from white schools. Teachers worked extra hours and repurposed materials so that students felt pride in their schools.
Students’ Work for the Collective Good: Young People Take Charge
“Education is the key to having more and representing your people and making it to the next level. So, in the whole realm of education, we had to make sure that within the school system, we were getting ours. That we were afforded the opportunity to get ours.”
Dianne Pledger, Chapel Hill High School alumna
Working alongside their teachers, students have continuously been advocates for their own education. From pushing for African studies classes in newly desegregated schools’ curricula to protesting the erasure of meaningful traditions at the formerly all-Black Lincoln High School, students have pushed for a quality education that reflects their culture. The value students have placed on their own schooling echoes the importance of education in Northside, where education continues to be one of the four pillars of the community, alongside church, business, and the home.
