Rhetoric, Realism, and Response: Brown, White Opposition, and Black Youth Activism, 1954-1972 Público
Willis, Vincent DeWayne (2013)
Published
Abstract
A prevailing narrative of America's educational history is that public education for black youth has constantly improved since the mid-twentieth century. The most notable case used to substantiate this claim is Brown v. Board of Education. Academicians constantly debate the successes and failures of Brown but few have examined the cyclical relationship between the rhetoric of Brown, the educational realities of black youth, and the ways the youth responded juxtaposed with the activities of those who wanted the status quo to remain in place. To fill this gap, this study examines how Brown, white opposition, and black youth activism created a farrago of progress, regress, hopes and doubts that greatly influenced public education in Georgia from 1954-1972. Framed within the context of Brown and informed by multiple archival sources and oral history interviews, this study is guided by four research questions:
1) What ways did the rhetoric of Brown compare and contrast with the educational realities of black youth after the Supreme Court's ruling?
2) What effect did white opposition have on the educational realities of black students?
3) How did black youth respond to the educational inequities and white opposition they faced during the post-Brown era?
4) What was the relationship between Civil Rights and Black Power organizations and the activism of black youth?
I use newspapers, archival collections, and interviews to
provide an overview of the national and local context of youth
activism and three case studies from towns in Georgia to illustrate
local people's responses. Results indicate that the youth were
focused more on improving how they were being treated and improving
the conditions of their schools than they were in the desegregation
debate. Essentially, black students believed they were entitled to
basic educational facilities--a building large enough to house the
student population, a library, an auditorium, a gymnasium--and that
they should be educated in school climates where their intellect
could be appreciated and cultivated. The results also show that
black students depended heavily on national organizations and that
national organizations depended on black youth. These findings
provide a stark contrast to the historical debates that center more
on the implementation of Brown than on the roles these youth
played in seeking a more equitable public school
system.
Table of Contents
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1: The Dawn of a New Era:
Federal Rulings, Social Movements, and Youth
Activism...1
Significance and Early Examination...4
Contextualizing Terms, Movements, and Events...8
Review of the Literature...18
Methodology...44
Chapter 2: "Don't Be Fooled…The Fight Has Just Begun:"
White Opposition and Black Youth Activism (The National Context)...61
Chapter 3: No National Spotlight, but Determined to Leave a Legacy:
Black Youth in Tifton, Georgia...99
Chapter 4: "We Were Trying to Just Be:"
Black Youth Participation in the Americus Movement...135
Chapter 5: Moving Beyond the Boundaries of Business as Usual:
Black Youth Fight for Educational Improvements in Moultrie, Georgia...174
Chapter 6: When Desegregation was not Enough...217
Appendix A: Sample of Interview Questions...226
Appendix B: Research Questions and Sources for the
Dissertation...227
Appendix C: Document Summary Form...228
Appendix D: Biographies of Participants...229
Bibliography...232
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