Mr. Edward Newton grew up in South Carolina in the 40s and 50s. After High School and serving in the military, he followed in his mother's footsteps and became a teacher and then an administrator. In this episode he talks about his mother's creativity in the classroom, his upbringing, and why he got his graduate degree in New York City.

Ms. Lillian Carter never planned to be a teacher. Just before finishing college, her mother asked her to sign up for student teaching and she never looked back. In this episode she talks about planning a trip for her students following the Underground Railroad, her unconventional student teaching experience, and her commitment to showing her students love.

Find your local Association for Study of African American Life and Culture (ASAHL) https://asalh.org

Judith Anderson was destined for international experiences. After spending a few years living in Germany and traveling all over Europe with her husband during his military deployment, Judith Anderson moved back to Virginia and shared those experiences with the students in her French class. In addition to teaching the language, Mrs. Anderson worked to broaden her students horizons and give them a global perspective in the midst of a fraught desegregation process in the Richmond city schools. In addition to her service as a teacher, Mrs. Anderson also discusses her distinguished career as a public servant, serving as Legislative Aide to the first Black governor of Virginia, Douglas Wilder, and in subsequent gubernatorial administrations. 

You can read Dr. Carmen Foster’s dissertation "Tension, Resistance, and Transition: School Desegregation in Richmond's North Side, 1960-63” Here: Carmen_F_Foster_Dissertation_May2014.pdf 

Listen to the Gary Flowers Morning show https://www.garylflowers.com  Monday Through Friday From 9 to 11 a.m. on WREI 101.3 FM

Reverend Dr. Grady Powell was always an activist. He spent his career both teaching and preaching and in both roles, he encouraged his students and his congregants to get involved in social justice movements. He led by example, challenging the white power structure in the school board, the voting registrar’s office, the local newspaper, and in the streets, including at the famous Selma march. In this interview he talks about his favorite teacher from his Rosenwald schooling in Brunswick County, Virginia, his creative classroom assignments, and taking over leadership of Gilfield Baptist Church from famed Civil Rights activist, Wyatt Tee Walker.

Ms. Carolyn Addison says that teaching is in her DNA. Her grandmother, Estella Beck, started a school in Mississippi in the early 1900s. In this episode, we’ll talk about freedman’s schools like Estella Beck’s, Ms. Addison’s own experiences as a teacher, guidance counselor, and desegregator, and her experience witnessing an infamous act of racial violence at Jackson State College in 1970. 

Our theme music is Summer Night by Vanilla. You can find their music at vanillabeats.bandcamp.com

Dr. Owen Cardwell had a winding path to becoming an educator. These days he’s a Professor at the University of Lynchburg. On his way there, he was one of the first Black students to desegregate E.C. Glass High School in Lynchburg, he participated in and led many civil rights demonstrations, served in the military, and served over fifty years as a Baptist preacher. He talks about those experiences and the importance of strength-based learning and individualized education. 

Our theme music is Summer Night by Vanilla. You can find their music at vanillabeats.bandcamp.com  All other music is from Blue Dot Sessions.

Ms. Audrey Williams took the curriculum into her own hands as a teacher in Hampton City Schools in the 1970s. As a social studies teacher, she made sure her students knew that Black history was American history. She also made sure to bring her students into the community and teach them about local black history. From the first enslaved Africans in 1619 to the Underground Railroad sites in Hampton Roads.

You can learn more about ASALH (The Association for the Study of African American Life and History) here: https://asalh.org 

Our theme music is Summer Night by Vanilla. You can find their music at vanillabeats.bandcamp.com

In this episode, Ms. Deloris Campbell recalls her time as the librarian and only African-American educator at Stony Point Elementary School in Albemarle County, Virginia. She talks about the books she chose to read with her very young students and the ways in which she helped them open their minds and encourage their compassion. She also talks about her own educational experiences from being one of the only graduate students of color at UVA's education school to witnessing the Orangeburg Massacre in South Carolina in 1968 while she was an undergraduate student.

You heard footage from Ruby Bridges’ first day of school at William Franz public school in New Orleans. That was recorded on November 29th 1960 and can be found in the WSB-TV news archive at the University of Georgia.

You also heard from Harry Floyd, the owner of the segregated bowling alley in Orangeburg, Dr. Benjamin Payton then-president of Benedict College, and a South Carolina State student. They were all recorded in 1968 by WLTX TV news and the clips can be found in archives of the University of South Carolina.

Reporter Paul Clancy and local NAACP leaders were recorded by WIS 10 News in 1968. That footage is in the WIS archives also at the University of South Carolina.

You heard Cleveland Sellers reflecting on the Orangeburg massacre. That interview aired on WIS News 10 in 2014.

You also heard from Ella Baker speaking in 1974 at a solidarity rally in Puerto Rico and Fannie Lou Hamer speaking to the Democratic National Convention in 1964.

Our theme music is Summer Night by Vanilla. You can find their music at https://vanillabeats.bandcamp.com