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Christina Jackson was born on August 15, 1926, in Topeka, Kansas, to Georgia and Jess Edwards. In this interview, Jackson speaks about her experiences at the segregated Washington Elementary School and then at the integrated East Topeka Junior High and Topeka High School. According to Jackson, Washington had very strict teachers who emphasized the importance of learning about African American history. Her children attended Monroe School and, after desegregation, moved to State Street School, which had formerly been a school for white children only. Her children recalled that the faculty at State Street worked hard to integrate the black students, who were for the most part accepted by their peers. It was not until her children entered Holliday Junior High that they struggled with racial discrimination and derogatory comments. Jackson also discusses her work experiences and involvement in social clubs and volunteer organizations. This interview was conducted by Jean VanDelinder and Ralph Crowder. The Brown v. Board oral history project was funded by Hallmark Cards Inc., the Shawnee County Historical Society, the Brown Foundation for Educational Excellence, Equity, and Research, the National Park Service and the Kansas Humanities Council. Parts of the interview may be difficult to hear due to the quality of the original recording. This interview has a signed release for scholarly or educational purposes only.
Creator: Jackson, Christina
Date: September 20, 1991
This source contains useful information about how school officials responded to integration. It also provides the African American perspective on segregation. It could be grouped with a variety of sources, including other sources about these segregated schools, or with other documents and images that discuss the integration process.
KS:11th:3.1:Brown v. Board (2005)
Item Number: 211835
Call Number: Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Oral History Coll. 251, Reference Copies, Box 2, Folder 1
KSHS Identifier: DaRT ID: 211835
Collections - Audio-visual
Collections - Manuscript - Brown v. Board Oral History
Collections - Oral History - Brown vs Topeka Board of Education
Community Life - Clubs and organizations - Reform/Advocacy - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Plaintiffs in the court cases
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Process of integration
Curriculum - 11th Grade Standards - Kansas History Standards - 1945-1990 (Kansas_Benchmark 3) - Brown v. Board (Indicator 1) - Segregated schools
Date - 1990s - 1991
Education - Primary - Students
Education - Secondary - Activities
Education - Secondary - Students
Education - Segregation and desegregation - Brown v. Board
Government and Politics - Reform and Protest - Civil rights - National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
Objects and Artifacts - Communication Artifacts - Documentary Artifact - Audio recording
People - African Americans - Discrimination - Segregation
People - Children
People - Women
Places - Cities and towns - Topeka
Places - Counties - Shawnee
Thematic Time Period - Eisenhower Years, 1946 - 1961 - Civil Rights Movement
Type of Material - Audio - Oral histories
http://www.kansasmemory.org/item/211835
