New Jersey

• 1915 - 1946: New Jersey Organization of Teachers of Colored Children
• 1946 - (?): New Jersey Organization of Teachers

The New Jersey Organization of Teachers of Colored Children, (renamed the New Jersey Organization of Teachers in 1946) was founded in 1915 by Hannah P. Lowe, a teacher at the Indiana School in Atlantic City. Lowe called together the teachers of Black children in New Jersey in order to address the problem of segregation in the state, including unfair working conditions for Black teachers and a lack of adequate resources for Black schools. From the beginning, the NJOTCC was dedicated to ensuring NJ’s Black children had the “richest opportunities for their full development and self-expression.”¹ In order to achieve its goals, the NJOTCC organized into regional study centers that met throughout the year to share best practices and to problem solve local challenges to their schools and students.

For members of the NJOTCC, teaching was a “cause and not a job,” and members conveyed a deep responsibility to their students, community, and the betterment of American democracy.² The organization implemented several programs to promote the economic and social security of Black children in New Jersey. For example, during the depression the NJOTCC engaged in relief work, and in 1936 then-President Montgomery Gregory established a loan program to support high school students pursuing a college education. Members also provided tutoring and counseling to children in the juvenile courts and worked with big brother / big sister programs in their communities. Teachers in the NJOTCC were part of a broader network of Black associations in the state, and collaborated with civil rights leaders, labor advocates, and Black civic and fraternal organizations. NJOTCC also supported the work of the ATA, including their political advocacy in the southern states.

The NJOTCC was active in improving the conditions of teachers and school work more broadly in New Jersey. Members advocated (often successfully) for salary equalization, fair insurance rates for Black educators, and improved resources and materials for Black schools, and developed partnerships with education researchers and specialists, such as Dr. Howard Long and Dr. Ira De Reid. The organization was structured into regional study centers, each with its own leadership. These study centers supported classroom teachers through experimentation and research on the most effective techniques for “awakening the intellectual curiosity of [their] youth.”³ Members of the NJOTCC were highly effective educators, as highlighted by a 1920 report from one city showing that Black schools led the district in math achievement.

The celebration and promotion of African American history and culture was a central goal of the NJOTCC and members sought to pass on African American history to students as part of their heritage. The organization offered materials to support the study of African American history to administrators, teachers, libraries, and community organizations. For example, in 1925, the New Lincoln School of Trenton developed supplemental courses for elementary students and in 1941, Rachel C. McNeil, a graduate of Cheyney University, created a unit called “Makers of History of Methods of Teaching Negro History in all Elementary Grades.”⁴ This unit was intended to be integrated into social studies programs, and the NJOTCC paid for copies to be sent to all of the teachers colleges of the state, as well as the public libraries in the major cities. McNeil’s unit was very popular, and was published in the New Jersey Review’s list of pamphlets.

Additionally, the NJOTCC was committed to improving the conditions of democracy in New Jersey’s schools through the eradication of discrimination and segregation of Black students or teachers. The organization believed that mutual recognition, appreciation, and respect of the contributions of all groups to American culture and achievement was the basis for true integration in the public schools. To this end, NJOTCC’s members were active in thinking about a democratic integration of the schools, and they were vigilant in monitoring the conditions for Black teachers and students after desegregation in the late 1940s and into the early 1950s. The organization appointed a Field Agent to report on gains and losses due to integration. In the early years, few Black teachers were reported as losing their jobs, and by 1950 integration was reported as moving smoothly in many cities and towns at the elementary level.

In 1950, the New Jersey Organization of Teachers became an affiliate of the New Jersey Education Association, while maintaining close ties to the ATA. For a brief period, members debated whether there would be a need for the NJOTCC after desegregation, and despite some organizational shifts (six study centers consolidated into four by 1955), the organization remained vibrant and active throughout the desegregation period and beyond. They continued their work in service of Black students and teachers, and remained steadfast in their goals of improving the conditions relating to students, teachers, and school work in the state. The organization remained active at least into the 1970s.⁵

Footnotes

¹ "Statement of Policies and Objectives,” 50th Anniversary of the New Jersey Organization of Teachers, Saturday, May 8, 1965. [Atlantic City, New Jersey] : [New Jersey Organization of Teachers]. 1965. Rutgers University Libraries. Black Teacher Archive, page 2.

² The phrase “a cause and not a job” was attributed to prominent Black New Jersey educator Dr. William Valentine, the longtime head of the Bordentown Manual and Industrial Training School for Colored Youth and former president of the NJOTCC. “Looking into Past Years,” 50th Anniversary of the New Jersey Organization of Teachers, page 6.

³ “Words From the President,” 50th Anniversary of the New Jersey Organization of Teachers, page 7.

⁴“Mrs. Rachel McNeil,” The 40th anniversary of the New Jersey Organization of Teachers, 1915-1955. [Atlantic City, New Jersey] : [New Jersey Organization of Teachers]. 1955. Rutgers University Libraries. Black Teacher Archive, page 24.

⁵ A number of newspapers reported on the activities of the NJOT in the 1970s, with the note that the NJOT was an affiliate of the NJEA. "Atlantic City and Vicinity." 1970. Philadelphia Tribune (1912-), Nov 17, 22; "Comment about Camden." 1972.Afro-American (1893-), May 13, 15; "Trudy Haynes Keynotes Meeting of NJ Teachers: MRS. TRUDY HAYNES." 1978. Philadelphia Tribune (1912-), Nov 17, 9.

• Hannah P. Lowe (1915 - 1919)
• Dr. William Valentine (1919 - 1925)
• Dr. Lester B. Granger (1925 - 1930)
• Dr. Hibbard Smith (1930 - 1931)
• Frances Grant (1931 - 1934)
• Montgomery Gregory (1935 - 1940)
• Eva Batey (1940 - 1943)
• Walter Gordon (1943 - 1946)
• Alton Jordan (1946 - 1949)
• Camilla R. Lockwood (1949 - 1953)
• Nancy Field Collier (1953 - 1955)
• Edwin Martin (1955 - 1959)
• Daniel T. Malone (1959 - 1966)
• Hazel Anderon (1966 - 1968(?))
• Mamie Moon (1968(?) - 1971)
• Rev. Joseph J. Pinkston (Late 1970s)

*please note: a “?” or “~” indicates exact dates are uncertain at this time)