African American Education in Virginia During the Jim Crow Era

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Procedure:

• Initiatory Activity- Discussion: Ask students how state funding affects the quality of education that a student receives. What are the long-term consequences of a poorly educated community?
• Activity One- Divide Students into Groups and assign each group a computer (or distribute the hard copies of the articles)
• Students should read the following brief paragraphs for background information:

Introduction to the Reflector:

 http://www.vcdh.virginia.edu/afam/reflector/introduction.html

Background on Educated Related Writings in the Reflector:

http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vcdh/afam/reflector/Edissues.html

• Students should read the following Articles:

1)“The Foundation of Our Democracy”

http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vcdh/afam/reflector/ed06.02.34.html

This article presents the discrepancies between black and white schools in the South. The article also listed the objectives of the "national conference on fundamental problems in the education of Negroes" in 1934.

2)“The Negro and the Emergency in Education”

http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vcdh/afam/reflector/ed06.02.34.html

What was the state of black education prior to the Depression? Would the Depression affect black schools and white schools equally? The article discusses how the conditions of black education constituted an "emergency."

3) “The Governor Speaks”

        http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vcdh/afam/reflector/6.30.34.education.html

                        Did blacks and whites in Virginia have equal opportunities to pursue their                            interests in higher education? The article analyzes a statement of the                            Governor of Virginia, George C. Peery, concerning educational opportunities
                        beyond high school in Virginia.

        4) “A Night School for Adults”

        http://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/vcdh/afam/reflector/6.23.34.education2.html

This article was a call for action in promoting adult literacy. Sellers noted the deplored state of being illiterate in the modern world, and suggested community service on the part of "professional men and women" to remedy the problem of adult illiteracy.

The groups will pretend that they are going to interview Reflector editor Thomas J. Sellers. Based on the reading, they should write what they think his response would be to the following questions. Worksheet.

1)       What is the state of education for the black community in Charlottesville in 1934?

2)       How does the education of black students compare to the white?

3)       What evidence do you present to make his argument?

4)       What suggestions do you offer to improve the education of the entire black community?

This lesson was created by Tom Fallace, University of Virginia. The background essays were written  by Risa Anne Ryland, University of Virginia.