African American teachers oral histories

Collection — Container: 2 boxes

Identifier: MSS-231

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This collection records the experiences of African-American teachers who taught in one room schools in Burke County, Georgia between 1930 and 1955. Six of the fourteen interviews discuss the role of Jeans supervisors in the schools. Jeans supervisors were funded by the philanthropist Anna Jeans to raise the level of educational opportunities in the South. Interviews conducted with: Mrs. Willie Henry Benefield, Allene Bessent, Alma Griffin, Azalene Young,, Rev. Paul Howard,, Dr. Justine Washington, Mrs. Savella Hall, George William, Mrs. Gertie Ward, G. Samuel Stone, Wilbert Roberts, Mrs. Emma Gresham, Ellis Godbee, and Mr. William E. Bessent. Recordings available online here.

Dates

Created: 1930-1955
Other: Date acquired: 10/08/2000

Creator

Fulcher, Dr. Eugenia M. (Person)

Conditions Governing Access

no restrictions. Please use transcripts to protect the audio tapes or access the digital project Saving the Voices of Augusta's Past

Biographical or Historical Information

These interviews were conducted as part of the dissertation requirements of Georgia Southern while Dr. Fulcher was a degree candidate. Dr. Fulcher received her doctorate in May, 1999 and was among the first students to complete Georgia Southern’s Ed. D in Curriculum Studies. Her dissertation is titled Dreams Do Come True: How Rural One- and Two-Room Schools Influenced the Lives of African Americans in Burke County, Georgia, 1930-1955.

Note written by Carol Waggoner-Angleton