Beyond the Boundaries of Childhood: African American Children in the Antebellum North

Abstract

A significant contribution of this work is the connection between today’s teaching practices and Black schoolteachers’ fugitive pedagogic practices. This book is intellectually stimulating and rigorously researched. Fugitive Pedagogy brings all of Givens’s educational experiences to bear on his research. It incorporates education, history, and Black studies. The book pulls from various fields with analytic depth and interdisciplinary ease. Givens grounds his research in traditional historical methodology from formal and informal archives and personal collections, to newspapers, textbooks, educational records, autobiographies, and oral histories. Importantly, he elevates Black student voices as an alternative avenue to understand Black teachers’ impact. By studying Black teachers and the life of Woodson, Givens unveils how fugitive pedagogy gives Black communities hope and the ability to reimagine an alternative. Black schoolteachers exemplified bravery in navigating the realities of a white supremist institution. This pedagogic bravery observed by Black students allowed for a deep and continued contribution to Black education. Black schoolteachers knew their teaching was connected to the fate and freedom of Black life. Givens uses this book to connect the inspiration behind Black teachers, scholars, and leaders’ actions of turning fugitive pedagogy into scholarship and practice. Fugitive Pedagogy and the Art of Black Teaching is the preservation of Black life and history.