Passaic Today

In the two decades following the landmark 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision, approximately 38,000 Southern Black teachers lost their jobs—a phenomenon that some scholars argue was not an "unintended consequence" of desegregation but an integral part of resistance to it.

However, few scholars have studied how Brown impacted Black teachers in the North. In “The Impact of Brown v. Board of Education on Black Teachers Outside of the South, 1934-1974,” Educational Foundations Professor Zoë Burkholder traces this complex history before and after Brown.

Leading up to the decision’s 70th anniversary on May 17, 2024, the report was commissioned by the National Coalition on School Diversity (NCSD) as part of a larger research project entitled “Leveraging Title II of ESSA and Redressing the Post-Brown Decimation of the Black Educator Workforce in the South to Support School Integration and Educator Diversity,” supported by American Institutes for Research’s Equity Initiative.

"As we commemorate the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board, it's important to recognize how this ruling has shaped the long struggle for Black educational equality since 1954," said Zoë Burkholder. "One thing that is clear is that we are still grappling with its complex legacy today."

In tracing the history of Black teachers outside the South before and after 1954, Burkholder found that Northern Black teachers generally did not lose their jobs directly or indirectly due to Brown, unlike their Southern peers who accounted for roughly 85% of U.S. Black teaching force in 1966. Prior to Brown, Northern Black teacher numbers had been rising with population growth from the Great Migration when six million Black Americans relocated North and West.

However, gains in Northern Black teaching did not last. The percentage of Black teachers as part of U.S. teaching began declining two decades post-1954—a trend continuing today with widespread underrepresentation.

The report addresses several questions:

- What were the consequences of Brown on Black teachers outside Southern and border states?

- How did desegregation efforts impact Northern regions' teaching force?

- What are lasting effects on communities and education systems from losing Black educators?

"Professor Burkholder's research challenges us to broaden our perspective as we consider what it will truly take to achieve educator diversity at scale," said Gina Chirichigno, director of NCSD. "A more nuanced understanding helps us appreciate how far we have to go and why."

Access the full report online here.

To schedule an interview with Zoë Burkholder, contact Montclair State University Media Relations team.