Freedom Pedagogy: Black Educators in the Urban North During the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries

Author

Milagros Seraus-Roache, The Graduate Center, City University of New YorkFollow

Date of Degree

2-2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Ph.D.

Program

Urban Education

Advisor

Sherry Deckman

Committee Members

Terri N. Watson

Robert P. Robinson

Subject Categories

Social and Philosophical Foundations of Education

Keywords

Progressive Education, Indianapolis, Black Education, Urban North

Abstract

Black educational history has been told through a predominantly Southern lens. This dissertation highlights the experiences of Black educators in the urban North during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Northern Black educators confronted the challenges of freedom—including the constant need to protect it—using a set of approaches influenced by the various intersecting social movements and intellectual currents of their day. While these educators represented a small minority of African Americans, their contributions were profound, leaving legacies that provide a lens for understanding and improving issues facing urban Black youth and their communities today.

In the absence of a comprehensive volume on the history of Black education in the urban North, this dissertation takes an important step toward addressing that gap by conducting a comparative analysis of the experiences of Black educators across several Northern cities, with a focused case study of Indianapolis. The city, with its extensive network of African American educators, serves as a lens for understanding the complexities of the educational

Recommended Citation

Seraus-Roache, Milagros, "Freedom Pedagogy: Black Educators in the Urban North During the Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/6187