Narratives of Successful Border Crossings of African American Teachers during Desegregation

This study examines the narratives of three African American teachers who participated in an early desegregation plan that transferred selected African American teachers into all-White schools in the late 1960s and early 1970s. While many of these teachers experienced rejection in their new schools, the three African American teachers in this study successfully transitioned across cultural borders. Their narratives indicate that the ability to form interpersonal relationships was a factor in their success, allowing them to garner the support of a dominant group member. While collegial and parental acceptance could be predicated on the support of a single powerful member of the dominant group, student acceptance was built on individual trust and cumulative demonstrations of care established at the classroom level. These findings have implications for contemporary urban schooling, in which young White teachers often experience difficulties in adapting to teaching in all-minority schools