Examining Racial Equity: Durham Public Schools over the past 50 years
Course Overview
This course will examine racial equity in Durham Public Schools. Required reading for the class will be Osha Gray Davidson’s book The Best of Enemies: Race and Redemption in the New South, which provides an in-depth history of Durham’s race relations from its inception in 1869 to 1996. Students will be asked to reflect upon Durham’s historical race relations to evaluate objectively how far the city has progressed, particularly regarding racial equity in its educational system. Participants will have an opportunity to discuss Davidson’s book; hear from speakers who knew Ann Atwater and C. P. Ellis; and interact with educators, retired public servants, and students who contributed to and experienced DPS’s evolution. In addition, the class will be given the opportunity to explore ways to support DPS’s racial equity efforts now and in the future.
Biographies of Facilitators
Susan Dennison is a retired academic who helped design and open the first Joint Master of Social Work program at a historically Black college or university (HBCU) and what had been the white Woman’s College (UNC-G). Susan’s research and publications have focused on school treatment programs for at-risk K-12 students. She served 25 years as a national school consultant.
Marion Jervay is a retired transactional attorney for business/academic entities. She is a graduate of UNC-W and Duke Law School. Marion is a rarity within OLLI because she is a native North Carolinian who grew up in Raleigh in a small African American community. She attended parochial schools, including Cardinal Gibbons High School, which provided her with a unique integrated experience in the 1960s.