The Overlooked Educators: The History of Black Teachers in 1960s NYC

Welcome to another episode of The Silk Stocking Sisters Podcast. In this episode, Dr. Canada explores the often overlooked history of Black teachers in New York City public schools during the early 1960s. Dr. Canada highlights how, despite the implementation of student desegregation, teacher assignments remained unchanged. Most Black educators were placed in predominantly Black and Hispanic neighborhoods. This led to a lack of representation in desegregated schools.

Dr. Canada discusses why this happened, how limited career opportunities for people of color influenced teaching as a career path, and what this history reveals about representation in education today. She also breaks down the current teacher shortage and some of the contributing factors. She offers important insight into why diverse and dedicated educators mattered then and matter now.

Join us for a thoughtful conversation on the past, present, and future of teaching and the role educators play in shaping our communities. As always, subscribe to The Silk Stocking Sisters Podcast on the ALIVE Podcast Network app for more episodes!