The University of Virginia is conducting an oral history project that is documenting the stories of teachers during the civil rights movement. The project is called Teachers in the Movement and it is led by Derrick P. Alridge, a professor in the Curry School of Education at the university.
The project focuses on oral history interviews with elementary, secondary, and university teachers and educators of all races in several states about their participation in and efforts during the Civil Rights Movement. By the end of 2016, the researchers hope to have recorded 200 interviews.
“Teachers played very important roles in the movement,” said Professor Alridge. “What drives our research team is our desire to bring their stories to light. We intend to put the project on par someday with other major oral history projects that cover the Civil Rights Movement, such as The Behind the Veil Project at Duke University and the Southern Oral History Project at the University of North Carolina.”
Professor Alridge holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, South Carolina. He earned a Ph.D. at Pennsylvania State University.
