Their Zeal for Building a Better World

The Black Teacher Archive is a digital collection centralizing materials created by Colored Teachers Associations held in nearly 70 repositories across the nation.

The primary holdings include a centralized collection of 20th century serial publications by Black educator organizations, and they document the history of social and political organizing by African American educators who were key figures in the struggle for educational equality for Black children. This exhibit offers a window into these rich archival documents and represents a sample of the range of educational concerns presented throughout the journals.

Curated by Rebecca Horwitz-Willis, PhD ('23), Postdoctoral Research Fellow for the Black Teacher Archive, and Micha Broadnax, Senior Project Manager for the Black Teacher Archive.

Online adpation by Erica Buddington

"The world around us really belongs to youth for youth will take over its future management. Our children must never lose their zeal for building a better world. They must not be discouraged from aspiring toward greatness, for they are to be the leaders of tomorrow."

—Mary McLeod Bethune 1955

Colored Teachers Associations (CTAs) supported the intellectual, political, and cultural work of African American educators. The organizations functioned separately from the historically white affiliate organizations of the National Education Association which intentionally excluded Black teachers. CTAs served as key sites for professional learning, knowledge production, freedom dreaming, and community organizing for the advancement of educating Black youth. State CTAs began forming prior to the Civil War, and a national body of these organizations began to form in 1903 as the National Colored Teachers Association (also called the National Association of Negro Teachers). In 1907, the organization changed its name to the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools and later the American Teachers Association in 1937. In the 1920s, these organizations began regularly publishing journals at the national and state levels, though some publications existed as early as 1906. The Black Teacher Archive has located, digitized, and catalogued over 1,700 individual issues and a selection of covers and articles have been reproduced for this exhibit.

The Colored Teachers Associations were well-organized and invested in the professional development of their members. Members would meet in study groups and planning committees to organize annual conventions that offered a variety of sessions focused on best practices in teaching and pedagogy. Conventions were an opportunity to develop priorities, learn from one another, celebrate accomplishments, and strengthen organizational ties among members. The journals offered a forum to extend the learning and collaboration from conventions to the broader association membership.

Several prominent members of the Colored Teachers Associations (CTAs) had a widespread influence on Black educators’ shared conceptions of the routines, practices, institution-building, and commitment to Black dignity that were emblematic of a Black educational praxis. Within the journals, prominent Black educators author texts, participate in annual meetings, and are recognized for their contributions.

Bethune was the first woman elected president of the American Teachers Association, founder of the National Council of Negro Women, advisor to President Roosevelt, and founder of what is now known as Bethune-Cookman University.

Her educational institution started as the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904. In 1923, the institution merged with the Cookman Institute for Boys. This same year, Bethune served as the first woman elected president of the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools.

Her dual leadership in higher education spaces and the CTAs demonstrates an organizational practice of professional development and community engagement across multiple levels of Black education. Bethune was an inspiration for educators and children alike, and she was celebrated in the pages of the CTA journals as a model educator, institution-builder, and leader.

The journals of the Colored Teachers Associations (CTAs) showcase innovative pedagogy and impactful instructional practices. Through the covers of the journals and the accompanying articles, the CTAs provided space for readers to learn from one another as they refined their practice. The journals also reflect a dedication to preparing students for a world not yet realized, one that would welcome the full democratic participation and respected citizenship of Black life.

The articles throughout the journals convey a commitment to experiential learning that engages students with relevant contemporary events and in their home context. CTA members also recognized the need to monitor and respond to changing trends in the broader educational landscape and among students. Conferences and teacher study groups were important tools for facilitating the type of reflective study valued by the CTAs. As an example, “An Exhibit on Communication” details a unit on how technology is changing communication. Students engaged with several subunits, including one on the printing industry during which they learned about the history of writing, visited a local printing mill, and studied historical figures in the development of printing.

Students shared what they learned in an exhibition at their high school, which coincided with the Virginia Teachers Association’s (VTA) annual convention in nearby Richmond. As another example, the guest editorials featured here highlight the adaptations to students’ needs and an eye for the future that were inherent in Black teachers’ praxis. Rapid technological advances in the 1940s and 50s increased the importance of science and math education, and the VTA designed organizational structures to ensure Black students were prepared for the changes brought by new innovation. The Science and Mathematics Congress was formed with the support of the VTA to collaboratively problem-solve how to engage students with those subjects, while the Science-Mathematics Conference implemented a competition for high school students to showcase their science and math skills. Taken together, we see Black teachers implementing an engaged praxis that is relevant to both the needs of local communities and responsive to broader shifts in society. 

The CTAs recognized that the work of teachers went beyond the classroom and believed that teachers should play a leadership role in promoting the civic and social welfare of their communities. CTA members recognized the interdependence of the school, family, and state and collaborated with Parent Teacher Associations to raise awareness of the conditions of Black schools and to advocate for equitable resources and just laws. Moreover, the work of Black teachers was inherently political, and the CTA journals reflect a vigilant commitment to securing the voting rights of Black people.

Teachers were encouraged to vote, and the associations donated money to the NAACP. Teachers worked to instill a sense of civic duty amongst Black youth, and prepared students for political engagement in a country that was not quite ready to accept the full enfranchisement of Black voters. In doing so, the journals promoted a vision of education that invested in the civic futures of Black children as a path toward a more just society.

Following Brown v. Board of Education, CTAs continued to play an integral role in pursuing the actualization of the decision. In 1959, several public-school districts in Virginia, including Prince Edward County, closed their doors in opposition to desegregation orders. Instead, private academies supported by publicly funded tuition grants were opened for white children in these communities, while no provisions were made for the education of Black children. In response, the Black community, led by teachers, took it upon themselves to ensure their children received a continuous education. This involved multiple strategies, such as sending children to live with host families in the North and Midwest where they could freely receive a public education, and the establishment of the Prince Edward Free School. As reflected in this article, these choices were complex, and often required difficult sacrifices by Black children; however, the loss of years of education was untenable. By 1963, the Black community organized a series of direct-action protests in response to the school closures, and in1964 the Supreme Court mandated that the county reopen the public schools on a desegregated basis. Prince Edward County, VA provides one of many examples of Black educators organizing in support of education rights for Black children in the long desegregation era.

By the 1960s, the fight to integrate schools brought the issue of professional integration to the fore. A merger between the two national teachers' associations - the American Teachers Association and the National Education Association (NEA) – was discussed as early as the 1940s. It was not until the 1960s, however, that the idea of a merger gained widespread support, and in 1964 the NEA mandated the integration of dual-state associations under Resolution 12. Two years later, the American Teacher Association merged with the National Education Association. Discussions about the terms of mergers are well documented in the journals. Topics such as representation in leadership roles, what becomes of assets like headquarter buildings, and the employment of staff were discussed among CTA members. Discussion of the merger also reflected the complexities of integration for Black teachers. Black educators, often principals and coaches, were subject to job displacement and job loss. Some found positions outside of education, while others were supported by mutual aid efforts through NEA fundraising. Additionally, the journals relayed concerns about the care and treatment of Black children in newly desegregated schools, and some articles questioned whether an integrated association could adequately attend to the needs of Black children. These challenges were not new and had been debated for decades in the journals; however, they had renewed salience as the associations prepared to merge.

Throughout the 1960s and 70s, the Colored Teachers Associations (CTAs) were actively thinking through what an inclusive integration plan might look like. While understanding the role of education in promoting the values of a multi-racial democracy, Black educators were aware of the sacrifice integration unduly placed on Black teachers, students, and communities. Black educators also recognized the interconnectedness of ethical integration, anti-imperialism, and the political economy. As the antidote to the destructive forces of racism, poet and writer Dr. Margaret Walker stated that “a new philosophy of humanism will be sufficient to buttress a new educational system in a multi-racial world.” According to Walker, and many other Black educators, an anti-racist education system would center our common humanity over the hierarchies of race to achieve freedom and dignity for all children.

The journals of the Colored Teachers Associations demonstrate a commitment to the humanity and flourishing of Black children, families, and educators. This collection is an inheritance to teachers of Black children today, and the Black Teacher Archive is proud to make this information more accessible through the opening of our digital collection.