Lost Education of Horace Tate Uncovering the Hidden Heroes Who Fought for Justice in Schools

For two years Dr. Horace Tate?a former classroom teacher, principal, and state senator?told Vanessa Siddle Walker about his clandestine midcentury travels on unpaved roads under the cover of night, and his meetings with Dr. King and U.S. presidents. Sometimes they spoke by phone, sometimes in his office, sometimes in his home; always he shared fascinating stories of another era. On his deathbed, he spoke of a hidden archive. Just days after Dr. Tate's passing?in the attic of what was once the home of a different sort of southern strategy?she found the collection.

Thus began Walker's sixteen-year discovery of an organized network of the educators behind countless battles?in courtrooms, schools, and communities?for the education of black children. The courageous story of how black Americans in the South won so much and subsequently fell so far is incomplete. In the epic tradition of Eyes on the Prize, and with the cultural importance of the March trilogy, this monumental work offers fresh insight into the southern struggle for human rights, revealing little-known accounts of W.E.B. DuBois, James Weldon Johnson, and other NAACP leaders while uplifting lesser-hailed educators, including quieter provocateurs like Horace Tate.

For two years an aging Dr. Horace Tate--a former teacher, principal, and state senator--told Emory University professor Vanessa Siddle Walker about his clandestine travels on unpaved roads under the cover of night, meeting with other educators and with Dr. King, Georgia politicians, and even U.S. presidents. Sometimes he and Walker spoke by phone, sometimes in his office, sometimes in his home; always Tate shared fascinating stories of the times leading up to and following Brown v. Board of Education. Dramatically, on his deathbed, he asked Walker to return to his office in Atlanta, in a building that was once the headquarters of another kind of Southern strategy, one driven by integrity and equality.

Just days after Dr. Tate's passing in 2002, Walker honored his wish. Up a dusty, rickety staircase, locked in a concealed attic, she found the collection: a massive archive documenting the underground actors and covert strategies behind the most significant era of the fight for educational justice. Thus began Walker's sixteen-year project to uncover the network of educators behind countless battles--in courtrooms, schools, and communities--for the education of black children. Until now, the courageous story of how black Americans in the South won so much and subsequently fell so far has been incomplete. The Lost Education of Horace Tate is a monumental work that offers fresh insight into the Southern struggle for human rights, revealing little-known accounts of leaders such as W.E.B. DuBois and James Weldon Johnson, as well as hidden provocateurs like Horace Tate.

In the epic tradition of Eyes on the Prize and with the cultural significance of John Lewis's March trilogy, an ambitious and harrowing account of the devoted black educators who battled southern school segregation and inequality

For two years an aging Dr. Horace Tate--a former teacher, principal, and state senator--told Emory University professor Vanessa Siddle Walker about his clandestine travels on unpaved roads under the cover of night, meeting with other educators and with Dr. King, Georgia politicians, and even U.S. presidents. Sometimes he and Walker spoke by phone, sometimes in his office, sometimes in his home; always Tate shared fascinating stories of the times leading up to and following Brown v. Board of Education. Dramatically, on his deathbed, he asked Walker to return to his office in Atlanta, in a building that was once the headquarters of another kind of southern strategy, one driven by integrity and equality.

Just days after Dr. Tate's passing in 2002, Walker honored his wish. Up a dusty, rickety staircase, locked in a concealed attic, she found the collection: a massive archive documenting the underground actors and covert strategies behind the most significant era of the fight for educational justice. Thus began Walker's sixteen-year project to uncover the network of educators behind countless battles--in courtrooms, schools, and communities--for the education of black children. Until now, the courageous story of how black Americans in the South won so much and subsequently fell so far has been incomplete. The Lost Education of Horace Tate is a monumental work that offers fresh insight into the southern struggle for human rights, revealing little-known accounts of leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and James Weldon Johnson, as well as hidden provocateurs like Horace Tate.