The Rural, Black Women Who Educated the Masses
During the COVID-19 pandemic, when virtual school became an option for many students, I thought about my school-age family members in rural Arkansas who don’t have access to broadband internet service. Virtual school was never an option for them. For generations, access to education for Black, rural students in America has been an ongoing struggle.
When I thought about my school-age family members and their lack of access to virtual school, I also thought about the Jeanes supervisors who worked to ensure Black, rural students throughout the south had access to education.
I grew up in rural Drew County, Arkansas, and years before I was born, a Jeanes supervisor served my community. The supervisor in Drew County was one of the hundreds of Jeanes supervisors who educated the masses in the rural south and served as exceptional community organizers.
Jeanes Supervisors
In 1907, Quaker Anna T. Jeanes created a $1 million endowment for Black educators in rural schools throughout the southern United States. The endowment was known as the Negro Rural School Fund or Jeanes Fund. Virginia Randolph, a Black, rural educator, led the way for the Jeanes movement.
Jeanes started the fund to help rural schools that did not receive much private or public funding. The…
