The Legacy of James D. Anderson: Exploring the Role and Place of African Americans in Education

ABSTRACT:The purpose of this review is to highlight the work of Dr. James D. Anderson, whose contributions to educational and historical scholarship has provided critical counter evidence demonstrating that the African American community has represented nothing less than the full embrace of the promise of education. Over the span of his career, his body of work has shifted our understanding of the role of African Americans in educational leadership, informed legal debates related to access and opportunity, and has contributed to civic discourse associated with public education. The work of Dr. Anderson was also instrumental in a number of desegregation and affirmative action cases, including Liddell v. Missouri, Jenkins v. Missouri, Knight v. Alabama, U.S. and Ayers v. Fordice, and Gratz v. Bollinger. Drawing on his seminal book and numerous articles and position papers, our review article highlights a few of the ways in which Dr. Anderson's contributions demonstrate the relationships between political, economic, legal, and educational interests of African Americans.