{"id":134,"date":"2023-04-20T20:59:44","date_gmt":"2023-04-20T20:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ncte\/?page_id=134"},"modified":"2023-04-27T14:45:26","modified_gmt":"2023-04-27T14:45:26","slug":"advocacy-for-minority-groups","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/wordpress.library.illinois.edu\/ncte\/exhibits\/advocacy-for-minority-groups\/","title":{"rendered":"Advocacy for Minority Groups"},"content":{"rendered":"

“Minority groups in the United States, especially the non-white minorities, suffer crippling discrimination in jobs, housing, civil rights, and education. And they continue to face a school curriculum that, for them, is culturally impoverished. Ironically, it is also a curriculum which, in a different fashion, cripples white students and teachers by denying them the opportunity to learn about…other Americans who are non-whites.
\nFrom “Non-white minorities in English and Language Arts Materials,” by the NCTE Task Force on Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English<\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the whole, NCTE has consistently been on the progressive side on issues of race. In his book, A Long Way Together: A Personal View of NCTE’s First Sixty-Seven Years<\/em>, J.N. Hook explains the Council’s record:<\/p>\n

“Throughout its life, [NCTE] had attempted to treat all groups \u2014 all students, all teachers, all its members \u2014 alike. It had, for instance, been one of the first professional organizations to insist that its conventions be housed only in places where there would be no racial discrimination. It had gone beyond that [in 1964 when] the Board of Directors…mandated that all associations affiliated with the Council be completely open with regard to race and ethnicity; within two years all affiliates \u2014 some in the face of considerable difficulty \u2014 had satisfied that requirement.” (1979, p. 232)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Until the 1940s, however, concerns regarding minority groups were largely non-existent in the Council’s official business. Hook describes that the Council’s Executive Committee minutes did not mention any minority issues, nor were any committees commissioned that specifically dealt with race. Awareness of race-related issues rose slightly during the early 40s with the publication of\u00a0We Build Together: A Reader’s Guide to Negro Life and Literature<\/em>, by Charlemae Rollins, in 1941. This book was the first NCTE publication to wholly focus on African American literature. Concerned that white students who did not receive any exposure to other races in their daily lives were more prone to racism, Rollins provided a list of books that counter the stereotypes being perpetuated at that time.<\/p>\n

The 1960s mark when the NCTE took a much more active role in racial matters. As previously mentioned, in 1964, the Board of Directors mandated that the Council and its affiliates be open to all races and ethnicities (Hook, 1979, p. 232). In 1969, the NCTE formed the Task Force on Racism and Bias in the Teaching of English (p. 233). This Task Force primarily focused on encouraging teachers to use more works authored by minorities, as well as to discourage discrimination in textbooks. The Task Force would prove successful, releasing several publications and garnering media attention.<\/p>\n

As the decades passed, NCTE still maintained its interest in minority affairs, advocating for fair representation and diversity. To learn more about how NCTE became an advocate for minority groups, take a look at the featured topics below:<\/p>\n