Hidden Figures: Mildred Johnson Edwards #BlackHERstoryMonth 25/29 (Patreon)

Hidden Figures: Mildred Johnson Edwards #BlackHERstoryMonth 25/29

Mildred Johnson Edwards was the daughter of John Rosamond Johnson, a famous composer and musician, and niece to James Weldon Johnson, intellectual and Black American public figure. Together her uncle and father wrote and composed the Negro National Anthem, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing.” Mildred Edwards was an educator who attended the New York Society for Ethical Culture [now the Ethical Culture Fieldston School], and at the time, the Ethical Culture school was a predominantly white institution. For her to graduate she had to student-teach, yet due to segregation, she was not allowed to teach white children. Edwards also faced concerns that even after graduation, she would not be hired by the predominantly white schools in New York. So in 1934, Edwards founded the Modern School in Harlem. With a class of eight children between three, four, five years old, she founded the Modern School, at St. Philips Church and sustained that school from approximately 1934 to the late 1990s. She was an early proponent of progressive education, focusing on child-centered lessons and curriculum as opposed to textbooks and other forms of traditional learning. Edwards Johnson wanted to create an institution for Black children that was modeled the pedegogical beliefs that she held to create a quality educating space for children. She also founded and ran a summer camp extension of the Modern School experience, Camp Dunroven, which ran from 1933 to 1965. At Camp Dunroven, the Black children of Harlem learned horseback riding and other outdoor activities generally associated with middle class white America. Mildred Edwards ran her Black independent school for 65 years. Her school was known for its high level of education for the students, many of whom went on to become educators themselves. I learned about this through the Humanities NY instagram page, which is currently running a project called the ‘Harlem Education History Project.’ And I’m going to read you guys a quote from them on why they wanted to share the story of Mildred Edwards: ‘The story of Mildred Johnson Edwards and the Modern School is not particularly visible in the scholarship. And it’s not just her school. It’s lots of educational spaces that were created often by Black American women, sometimes by Black American men, in Harlem for Harlem residents and children, that have not received a lot of scholarly attention. Or, even more pointedly: Probably have not gotten a lot of scholarly attention from people in elite positions, publishing in a sort of narrow band of a predominantly white academy. The wonderful aspect of keeping that history—of gathering that history, of codifying that history—is that it shows Black agency. It shows self determination. And the will that Black people have, who said, “I don’t care what you say about me or my people, we are going to be educated and we are going to be highly educated, and there’s nothing you could do about it.” That agency. That drive. That intense desire to be educated. I think that’s exemplified by people like Mildred Johnson Edwards.’ ****************** Merchandise! MAKE SURE U GETTA SHIRT!! https://www.teepublic.com/user/sssseren Follow me on social media! Instagram: @sensei_aishitemasu Personal Tumblr: http://sensei-aishitemasu.tumblr.com Tumblr for my work: https://sssseren.tumblr.com Snapchat: sssseren GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/tc5wh7q Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/seren_sensei ****************** Did you know I wrote a book? ☺️ 'So, About That... A Year of Contemporary Essays on Race and Pop Culture' Paperback: https://www.amazon.com/About-That-Contemporary-Essays-Culture-ebook/dp/B013V0CHK6 Kindle: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B013V0CHK6 Digital download (e-book): https://gumroad.com/l/IkUa ****************** Links: 'DEFINITIONS OF BLACK AGENCY: THE LEGACY OF MILDRED JOHNSON EDWARDS:' https://humanitiesny.org/definitions-of-black-agency-the-legacy-of-mildred-johnson-edwards/ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8zNDGBlnbT/ 'Once a Teacher: Biography of Mildred L. Johnson Edwards, Black Educator:' https://educate.bankstreet.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1156&context=independent-studies Johnson, Mildred: https://brbl-dl.library.yale.edu/vufind/Record/3534908 Once a Teacher: Biography of Mildred L. Johnson Edwards, Black Educator: https://books.google.com/books/about/Once_a_Teacher.html?id=jqz1tgAACAAJ