Advocacy From the Ground Up: An Examination of Black Education Advocacy for Equitable School Partnerships

Political Resistance for Education Advocacy

Before the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965¹, African American men enjoyed a brief stint of participation in the electoral process. In 1870, Congress approved and passed the 15th Amendment, which granted African American men the right to vote (Haskins & Haskins, 1998). While short-lived, African American participation was at its highest ever in history. As late as 1876, black male turnout rates in Louisiana and South Carolina (the two states which have voting data by race) were 75% and 78% of the eligible population (King, 2001). The onset of political participation among African Americans brought representation in government positions. Foner (1988) notes, “In virtually every county with a sizable black population, blacks served in at least some local office during Reconstruction ... assumed such powerful offices as a county supervisor and tax collector, especially in states where these posts were elective” (p. 32). African American representation in government was substantial to everyday life for all African Americans.

The growth in African American representation during Reconstruction resulted in redistribution, principally in the form of public goods. Education by far was the most important of the public goods, and the most sensitive to racial tensions. The period of education for African Americans in the South after the Civil War stood in sharp contrast to the period of slavery that mandated that African Americans could not be educated by law; a law that held strong support from southern Whites, both rich and poor. However, the Freedmen’s Bureau² and Republican state education superintendents viewed public education as essential for ex-slaves to gain human capital, as well as to help garner representation in government. It further meant that an educated African American population would also encompass an electoral block of voters who would favor the Republican Party and ultimately aid in the principle of state responsibility for public education.