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Mrs. Elizabeth Cisco is a Black woman seated in an ornate chair and wearing a formal full-length dress

Black and Latina Women’s Educational Activism

Explore Black and Latina women’s education advocacy in New York City from from the late 1800s to the present.

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Map of New York City labeled "House Number and Transit Guide"

How did NYC Segregate its Schools?

Many policies, practices, and ideas are behind school segregation in New York City. Explore them here, with a special focus on one school in Brooklyn.

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Black children jump rope in front of a crowd of seated people. A referree watches closely.

Joyful Struggle

When you imagine a movement or a protest, what do you see? These primary sources show joy, play, pride, and beauty in Black and Latinx communities and in Disabled people’s communities and help us think about how joy can be political.

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Newspaper article with photo of protestors outside of a school holding signs. One reads, "Deaf CEO Now"

Seeking Equity for Disabled Students

For Disabled children in New York City, exclusion and segregation have been common experiences, but people with disabilities, parents, and educators have pushed for change.

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Flyer for school boycott showing a young Black child looking through a broken window

Boycotting New York’s Segregated Schools

In 1964, New York’s schools were highly segregated and unequal. It was ten years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision that declared school segregation to be unconstitutional. But little had changed in New York City classrooms.

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Political cartoon

Who Governs NYC Schools?

Crucial decisions like what students learn, who attends school where, and who teaches: all of these decisions are part of school governance.

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