Call for Chapters for Book--The Proper Education of the Negro Race: The First High Schools for African Americans

Vanessa Garry Announcement
Location
United States
Subject Fields
African American History / Studies, History Education, Race Studies, Urban History / Studies

Call for chapters for book on African American high schools.

(Tentative Title) The Proper Education of the Negro Race: The First High Schools for African Americans

During the Reconstruction era, many state governments mandated the opening of public schools to all children; however, school district leaders did little to make the mandate a reality. Instead, African American social networks comprised of ministers, attorneys, doctors, and independent service providers formed to ensure local school districts created schools for African Americans. Leveraging their social and cultural capital, they utilized people positioned in strategic leadership jobs to force school boards to implement federal and state laws for educating all children. Often, their advocacy resulted in petitioning school boards to make schools for African Americans comparable to white institutions. African American high schools are a result of community activism. Though initially many of these facilities housed elementary and high school children, initiatives by community networks developed these schools into institutions that attracted African American teaching talent from across the nation, expanded curriculum that prepared children for college, and sometimes birthed normal schools, precursors to historically Black colleges and universities.

The concept of social and cultural capital explains the generative nature of social capital (e.g., collaboration of people resources) and the ability to use it to reproduce knowledge and social networks (Coleman, 1988; Orr, 1999). An individual receives his social capital from his family, and it determines his trajectory in life (Bourdieu & Passeron, 1990). In the larger society, class plays a significant role; wealthy and middle-class individuals typically have more transferrable resources than lower-class individuals. Consequently, the former yields more power over the latter. Most African Americans after the Civil War were overwhelmingly poor; therefore, efforts to improve the lives of the poor emanated from the development of community leaders who first improved their lives through education and in turn, used their knowledge to help others.

 

This book will generate more discussion on the following topics: the role of social networks in the development of African American high schools, high schools’ connection to the community, prominent administrators, teachers, and students’ contributions to the schools and society. Last, we seek to examine the survivability of these schools and their role in society today. The proposed book is a vehicle for historians, educators, sociologists, and others to give voice to the community stalwarts, administrators, teachers, graduates, and students (if schools continue to be in operation), who were responsible for these neighborhood institutions. Chronicling these narratives will also contribute to the literature about the many African American institutions countering repressive policies and social issues that negatively impacted the education of children of color.

 

  • (Tentative) Table of contents may list either (a) preselected schools or (b) states* and allow authors to select high school:
    1. Sumner High School (Harris-Stowe State University), St. Louis, Missouri*
    2. Booker T. Washington High School, Atlanta, Georgia*
    3. Pearl High School, Nashville, Tennessee*
    4. Institute for Colored Youth (Cheney University), Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania*
    5. Booker T. Washington High School, Tulsa, Oklahoma*
    6. Howard High School, Wilmington, Delaware*
    7. A. H. Parker High School, Birmingham, Alabama*
    8. Frederick Douglass High School, Baltimore, Maryland*
    9. Beulah Normal and Theological School, Alexandria, Virginia*
    10. Paul L. Dunbar High School, Washington, D.C.*
    11. Allen School, Asheville, North Carolina*
    12. Dudley High School, Greensboro, South Carolina*
    13. Louisville Central High School, Louisville, Kentucky*
    14. McKinley High School, Baton Rouge, Louisiana*
    15. Wechsler High School, Meridian, Mississippi*
    16. Booker T. Washington High School, Houston, Texas*
    17. Manual High School, Denver Colorado*
    18. L.C. Alexander High School, Austin Texas*

Submission and Review Process

  • Abstracts should be submitted by clicking here.  
  • An abstract/proposal should not exceed 500 words and clearly state the topic—the school and its origins along with additional topic(s) such as but not limited to community engagement, leadership, social justice, social networks, cross-cultural relationships, education as property of whites, community organizations, and leadership models and practice.
  • Include sources related to topic (not included in word count).
  • Attach an abbreviated biography of chapter author(s).

If proposal is accepted, the requirements for the chapter include:

Original chapter submissions, unpublished, and not under review by any journal or publisher are invited.

  • The length of the manuscript should be between 6000 and 8000 words (including all text and tables but excluding references.
  • All submissions must be prepared using Word for electronic submission and adhere to the guidelines set out in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th Edition (e.g., reference and in-text citations). Text should be double spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font with any tables, figures, or visual images placed after the reference section.
  • Each chapter should include objectives/research questions, theoretical framework, research methods, findings, and implications/conclusions.

Schedule:

  • Submit abstract by July 30, 2020. 
  • Proposal acceptance/rejection by September 30, 2020
  • Full chapter drafts due by January 30, 2021
  • Feedback to authors by April 30, 2021
  • Submission of final chapter due by July 30, 2021
  • Final manuscript due to Information Age Publishing Inc. January 31, 2021.

 

Direct all inquiries to Vanessa Garry garryv@umsl.edu and Paulette Isaac-Savage EPIsaac@umsl.edu.

Contact Information

Vanessa Garry garryv@umsl.edu 

 

Contact Email
garryv@umsl.edu