Clara Luper: A Historical Example for Contemporary Teacher Activists

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to provide contemporary teacher activists resisting against the racism of the New Jim Crow with a historical template for engaging in activism, through the biography of Clara Luper as a political activist and teacher. As a teacher working in the classroom, Luper fought against White Supremacy by constructing an explicitly anti-racist and student-centered classroom in which the care, development, and empowerment of all students was prioritized. As a political activist in her work as advisor to the NAACP Youth Council, Luper fought against the segregation policies of Jim Crow, and her success desegregating public establishments and continuing her work as a teacher and political activist was largely attributable to the support of a grassroots community of Black supporters. Luper’s biography as a teacher and political activist offers contemporary teacher activists working in public schools with a template for engaging in activism against the New Jim Crow and the perpetuation of racial caste through the public school system.