Education in Black and White: Myles Horton and the Highlander Center's Vision for Social Justice

Myles Horton founded the Highlander Folk School in 1932 to provide a place for poor and marginalized people to gain control over their lives and discuss issues of class and race. His educational theories and strategies influenced many influential people, such as Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., and his personal vision remains education's best hope for today.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 11 May 2021
Publisher: University of California Press

For far too long, the remarkable tale of life-altering educator and activist Myles Horton has remained hidden from the public eye. An inspiring and modest leader whose work profoundly impacted the civil rights movement, Horton aided thousands of marginalized individuals in gaining greater autonomy over their lives. Born and raised in the early twentieth century in Tennessee, Horton was deeply troubled by the degrading and discriminatory treatment meted out to impoverished people, regardless of their race—both black and white—in Appalachia. Determined to establish a space accessible to all, where ordinary individuals could engage in meaningful conversations, learn from one another, and delve into the core issues of class and race, as well as right and wrong, Horton co-founded the Highlander Folk School in 1932, right in the heart of Tennessee.

The first comprehensive biography of Myles Horton in twenty-five years, Education in Black and White, delves into the educational theories and strategies he initially developed at Highlander to serve the interests of the impoverished, marginalized, and oppressed. His personal vision had a profound impact on a wide range of individuals, including Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt, and Congressman John Lewis. In his book, Stephen Preskill meticulously chronicles how Horton gained influence as an advocate for organized labor, a civil rights activist, a supporter of Appalachian self-empowerment, an architect of an international popular-education network, and a champion for direct democracy. By highlighting how Horton's example continues to be the best hope for education today, Preskill underscores the enduring significance of his legacy.

Weight: 770g
Dimension: 161 x 237 x 32 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520302051