Black Teachers and St. Louis Public School Teacher Strikes of 1973 and 1979 Sharleta L-Shae Williams University of Missouri-St
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University of Missouri, St. Louis IRL @ UMSL Dissertations UMSL Graduate Works 8-4-2014 Black Teachers And St. Louis Public School Teacher Strikes Of 1973 And 1979 Sharleta L-Shae Williams University of Missouri-St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Williams, Sharleta L-Shae, "Black Teachers And St. Louis Public School Teacher Strikes Of 1973 And 1979" (2014). Dissertations. 225. https://irl.umsl.edu/dissertation/225 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the UMSL Graduate Works at IRL @ UMSL. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations by an authorized administrator of IRL @ UMSL. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BLACK TEACHERS AND ST. LOUIS PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER STRIKES OF 1973 AND 1979 Presented to The Graduate School of the University of Missouri – St. Louis _________________________________________________________ In partial fulfillment of the requirements For the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Education Leadership and Policy Studies BY Sharleta L-Shae Williams B.S., Management Information Systems, University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2002 M.A.Ed., Education Administration University of Missouri-St. Louis, 2008 Summer 2014 Committee Matthew Davis, Ph.D. Advisor Lynn Beckwith Jr., Ed.D. Carl Hoagland, Ph.D. Claude Weathersby, Ph.D. Copyright, Sharleta L-Shae Williams, 2014 BLACK TEACHERS ii Abstract Within St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS), Black teachers taught on the north side of the city, while the White teachers taught on the south side. Because of the divide within teaching locations, there followed a larger rift between teacher organizations. The National Education Association (NEA) before the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling (1954) did not affiliate themselves with Black teachers whereas the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) was supportive of the integration of civil rights from the beginning. In the years from the Brown ruling until 1980, St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) had two teacher organizations the St. Louis Teachers’ Association, predominately White and the St. Louis Teachers Union-Local # 420, predominately Black union. During the St. Louis Public School teachers’ strike of 1973, the teacher organizations were divided, but then decided that it was best to unite as one when entering the strike of 1979. This was partly because African American teachers transferred to schools in south St. Louis. This study examined historical race relations between the AFT, the NEA, and Black teachers and how their history influenced the 1973 and 1979 St. Louis Public Schools (SLPS) teacher strikes. The archival information, newspaper clippings and existing literature obtained did not paint a complete picture of the strikes. However, using Critical Race Theory (CRT) helped in depicting the racial dynamics that existed within teacher organizations and their relationship with Black teachers. BLACK TEACHERS iii Acknowledgements First I would like to THANK GOD, for giving me the strength and perseverance to complete this journey in my life. Without him none of this would be possible. Next I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Davis for his support, guidance and words of encouragement throughout this process. To my committee, Dr. Beckwith for your insight into information, questions and firsthand experience with the strikes; Dr. Hoagland for your encouragement and thoughtful questions, and Dr. Weathersby for your editing experience. My spiritual sisters, Dr. LaDonna Barnett and Dr. June Christian, you knew what to say and when to say it. Last, but not least, my family, your support through this process is much appreciated. Mom (Helen), sister (Raquel), and brother (Antontwain), you were with me every step of the way. This is not only my accomplishment but also yours. I love you all very much. WE DID IT!!!! BLACK TEACHERS iv Table of Contents Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ ii Acknowledgements......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ iv Chapter One: Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 Background .................................................................................................................................. 1 St. Louis Teacher Strikes .............................................................................................................. 6 Critical Race Theory (CRT) ............................................................................................................ 9 Statement of the Problem ......................................................................................................... 12 Purpose Statement .................................................................................................................... 13 Definitions .................................................................................................................................. 14 Delimitations .............................................................................................................................. 15 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 15 Chapter Two: Related Literature ................................................................................................... 18 Teacher Organizations ............................................................................................................... 18 National Education Association ............................................................................................. 19 American Teacher Association ............................................................................................... 23 American Federation of Teachers .......................................................................................... 24 Teacher Strikes ........................................................................................................................... 28 Ocean Hill-Brownsville Crisis .................................................................................................. 29 Newark Teacher Strikes ......................................................................................................... 32 Oakland Teachers’ Strike ....................................................................................................... 36 Chapter Three: Methodology ........................................................................................................ 38 Researcher’s Role ....................................................................................................................... 39 Research Design ......................................................................................................................... 41 Data Sources .............................................................................................................................. 42 Data Collection ........................................................................................................................... 43 Data Analysis .............................................................................................................................. 44 Limitations ................................................................................................................................. 46 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................. 46 Chapter Four: Context ................................................................................................................... 48 Black Power and Women ........................................................................................................... 48 BLACK TEACHERS v Renter’s Strike ........................................................................................................................ 49 Liddell Case ............................................................................................................................ 52 Summary .................................................................................................................................... 54 Chapter Five: Analysis .................................................................................................................... 56 Laborer and/or Professional ...................................................................................................... 58 The Right to Live Comfortable ............................................................................................... 61 Collaboration.......................................................................................................................... 64 Sole Negotiator ...................................................................................................................... 67 Stakeholders’ Involvement ........................................................................................................ 73 Political Leaders ....................................................................................................................