Search Interviews

Lyda Peters [no age given] and Ruth Rosner [no age given] talk about being teachers in Boston before desegregation efforts began, and what drove them to become activists in the fight for education equity.

Life partners Barbara Lyon (72) asks Steve Maggs (62) about his experience being a student in the Boston public school desegregation efforts.

Tracy Shaughnessy [no age given] discusses with her childhood friend Gail Mondoux [no age given] her tumultuous childhood being adopted by alcoholic parents and her experience as a white student attending a predominately black school through Seattle's desegregation bussing programs.

Jarrod Sport (37) interviews conversation partner and new friend Dr. Donald Felder (73) about his personal experience with school desegregation.

Susan Gardner (65) speaks with her mother, Lillian Gardner (98), about their lives in Tennessee during the time of school desegregation. The two discuss the integrated Girl Scout troop they were involved in and experiencing the first year of school...

Friends Dallis Anderson (66) and William "Bill" Toulios (43) discuss equity in the school system. Dallis was Bill's basketball coach at the school where Bill is now the superintendent.

Spouses David Hundley (68) and Abigail Hundley (60) speak about David's experience growing up Black in Seattle.

Shawn Richard-Davis (61) discusses her upbringing with her child Rell Be Free (30). Shawn describes growing up in Seattle and the impact of participating in Seattle's school busing program.

Former colleagues Suzanne Hittman (92) and Mike Hoge (74) speak about their roles in Seattle's desegregation efforts.

Leigh Anne Carr (29) asks Tess DeCosta (61) about what it was like to grow up in Boston during the desegregation efforts of the 1970's. DeCosta remembers the fear she had when her mom worked as a crossing guard for...

Friends LueRachelle Brim-Atkins (76) and Jacquelyn Howard [no age given] discuss LueRachelle's childhood in Texas and her experiences with desegregation at the University of Texas. After college, LueRachelle took an internship as a teacher in Rochester, NY, and ultimately moved...

Dr. Donald Felder (73) and talks with fellow historian and friend, Delbert Richardson (68), about growing up in Seattle and living through busing in the city. Dr. Felder was one of the first black students to be bused to a...

Dwania Kyles (67) speaks with friend and fellow member of the Memphis 13 Leandrew Wiggins (68). The two discuss their differing experiences as members of the initial group of Black first graders who integrated Memphis schools during desegregation.

Husband and wife, Gloria Pillow (75) and Thomas Pillow (76), reflect on being a part of the last generation to attend segregated schools in Nashville, Tennessee. They speak fondly of their experience at their all-Black high school, Cameron.

Diane Hayes Powers (69) speaks to her daughter Destiny McLurkin (39) about being a part of Seattle's bussing program during school desegregation. Diane speaks about the challenges she faced as a Black student at a majority white school and how...

Grayce Gadson (71) shares with her colleague Kleopatra Gaiter (32) anecdotes from her time as a student in Florida, Indiana, and California during the desegregation of schools in America. Grayce and Kleopatra compare their varying experience with school institutions, specifically...

Coworkers in special education William Yadron Jr. (52) and Tiffany Woods (36) discuss equitable curriculum, administrative injustices, limitations of pedagogy, prejudice in the classroom, and gaps in access to resources for students.

Colleagues and friends Terry Batey (46) and Sandra Shimon (50) talk about the successes and challenges of the equity work that they have taken on at the Chicago high school at which they work. They reflect on the lessons they've...

Dwania Kyles (67) speaks with conversation partner Diane Bezucha (39) about her experience as a member of the the Memphis 13-- the inaugural class of first graders to desegregate schools in Memphis, TN. Dwania reflects on the work of her...

Karim Abdullah (70) speaks with friend and colleague Phillip Hill (59) about his life growing up in Memphis and his family's history. Karim discusses the independent Black community of Mound Bayou, his experience as a student in a segregated school,...

Dr. Gina Tillis (42) speaks with her friend Sheri Neely (48) about her experience as a young woman with Black, Mexican, and Choctaw heritage who moved from California to Texas as a teenager. Gina speaks fondly of Edwards High, an...

Friends Sheila Wise Rowe (63) and William "Bil" Mooney-McCoy (66) remember their childhoods amidst Boston's efforts to desegregate public schools.

Friends Elisabeth "Biz" Lindsay-Ryan (47) and Suni Kartha (47) talk about their work on the PTA Equity Project in their home community of Evanston, Illinois. They reflect on how they first became aware of the inequities in parent-teacher association (PTA)...

Friends Jeanette "Mz. Beatrice" Taylor (48) and Angela Ross (40) discuss their work in response to a local school closing and the need for changes within schooling systems.

Cindy Buske (54) and her son Josh Soldwedel (29) discuss Cindy's experiences with desegregation in Seattle. As an elementary school student, Cindy had minority students bused into her school. Then as a high school student, Cindy was bused from her...