Description
"Dirt Don't Burn, the result of novel research by the Edwin Washington Project, is the story of how the Black community in Loudoun County, VA fought for public education from the end of the Civil War until the end of segregation in 1968. Over the course of nearly a century, various actors--parents, teachers, white allies, and others--pressed to ensure their children a better future, seeking to improve school facilities, increase access to education, and ensure that children's basic needs were met so thatthey could fully engage in learning. Enriching the narrative are personal stories, interviews, and analysis of records that were almost burned after having been lost for decades. The book also draws on archival NAACP files and records of educational philanthropies. In telling the story of one community, Dirt Don't Burn sheds new light on the larger history of segregation and equity--or lack thereof--in American education"--
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This inspiring, true story of a Black community sheds new light on the history of segregation and inequity in American educationThe system of educational apartheid that existed in the United States until the Brown v. Board of Education decision and its aftermath has affected every aspect of life for Black Americans. Dirt Don't Burn is the riveting narrative of an extraordinary community that overcame the cultural and legal hurdles of systematic racism. Dirt Don't Burn describes how Loudoun County, Virginia, which once denied educational opportunity to Black Americans, gradually increased the equality of education for all children in the area. The book includes powerful stories of the largely unknown individuals and organizations that brought change to enduring habits of exclusion and prejudice toward African Americans. Dirt Don't Burn sheds new light on the history of segregation and inequity in American history. It provides new historical details and insights into African American experiences based on original research through thousands of previously lost records, archival NAACP files, and records of educational philanthropies. This book will appeal to readers interested in American history, African American history, and regional history, as well as educational policy and social justice.
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