TOPIC 8.6: Early Steps in the Civil Rights MOvement
Black RESISTANCE to School Integration: A Letter from Zora Neale Hurston
Acclaimed author Zora Neale Hurston’s feelings about Brown v. Board were not uncommon in many Black communities, but they are rarely reflected in our narrative of the landmark case.
KC-8.2.I.B.i The three branches of the federal government used measures including desegregation of the armed services and Brown v. Board of Education (1954) to promote greater racial equality
... I regard the ruling of the U.S. Supreme Court (Brown v. Board) as insulting rather than honoring my race…. there has been current the belief that there is no great[er] delight to Negroes than physical association with whites…personally, I am not delighted. - Zora Neale Hurston
This Key Concept in an AntiRacist Classroom:
While the NAACP made school integration a major priority, many people in the Black community openly opposed the idea. Education expert and Black history specialist Dr. LaGarrett King warns that we often “teach about Black people instead of teaching through Black people.” By that, he means we choose a template for teaching Black History that often ignores prominent Black voices. One problematic feature of the common “Black History template” is that our study of Black history often focuses solely on Black interaction with white society and the Black heroes most commonly portrayed are those who were the first to successfully integrate as if proximity to white people is the main objective for Black Americans. Certainly, equal access and opportunity are imperative, but assimilation into white society has not been a major objective of many Black Americans throughout U.S. history. Hurston’s letter provides much needed depth to class discussion of Brown v. Board.
Notes
Hurston’s whole letter is fascinating and reflects a conservative critique of Left, a potentially programmatic comment on the memory of Native Americans, and another problematic connection between the Civil Rights movement and Communism. A whole lesson could easily be developed on the different themes of this letter. Each paragraph provides enough fodder for lengthily class discussion. If anyone does something cool with this letter, I would LOVE to hear about it. However, for my class, I use the attached abridged version as a warm-up activity for 10 minutes the day after we cover Brown v. Board in class. The top of the document shared below is the version I use, scroll down on the attachment for the full letter. The brief slides presentation lets students know that Hurston’s point of view was shared by others in Black communities.
Discussion Questions for the Warm-up:
How does Hurston feel about Brown v. Board?
WHY does she feel that way?
What alternatives to the Brown decision does Hurston suggest?