Horace E. Tate

As a child, Horace E. Tate learned from his mother that education was not just personal growth; it was a weapon against oppression. He carried that lesson into his work as a teacher, principal, and eventually as the executive director of the Georgia Teachers and Education Association, where he functioned as something like a governor for Black Georgians. Tate had the power to petition school boards, organize against structural inequality, and advocate for  Black teachers and students across the state. He collaborated with civil rights leaders, often under the cover of night, and he single-handedly preserved the GTEA records. In more ways than one, Dr. Tate represents the spirit of the BTA, and the traces of his work are extensive within the collection.

Here is a curated selection of his name mentioned in the collection.