african american education

Home Economics Instructor - Mrs. Dessie Pilates learns how to operate new gas range.
Home Economics Instructor – Mrs. Dessie Pilates learns how to operate new gas range.

This resource page highlights newspaper clippings about African American education in Newton County, MS, shedding light on the often-overlooked history of this period. The primary courses approved by white superintendents in the segregated African American schools centered around Home Economics, Vocational, and Agricultural training, reflective of societal attitudes aimed at preparing Black students for roles within their community. These subjects were deemed acceptable by the authorities, conforming to the expectations of a racially divided educational system that limited opportunities for a comprehensive academic curriculum. Furthermore, these courses not only focused on practical skills but also incorporated cultural elements that played a vital role in the social fabric of African American life during that era. Teachers in these schools worked diligently to enrich their students’ learning experiences despite the constraints imposed on them, fostering resilience and a strong sense of identity through education.


Statement about Colored Schools in 1937
Statement about Colored Schools in 1937, The Newton Record, Thu, Jul 01, 1937 ·Page 8

Final Activities of Colored Schools - 1940
Final Activities of Colored Schools – 19401
Newton_Vocational_School_Commencement_Exercises_at_Pleasant_Grove_Church_1955
Newton_Vocational_School_Commencement_Exercises_at_Pleasant_Grove_Church_1955
Newton_Vocational_School_Commencement_Pleasant_Grove_1955_II
Newton_Vocational_School_Commencement_Pleasant_Grove_1955_II2
Jeffrey Banks Received Award
Jeffrey Banks Received Award
Beamon Receives Campbell University Scholarship
Beamon Receives Campbell University Scholarship
Beamon Receives Campbell University Scholarship
Beamon Receives Campbell University Scholarship
Colored Schools Agricultural Cotton Projects - 1935
Colored Schools Agricultural Cotton Projects – 19353
Colored school Enrollment Increased - 1954
Colored school Enrollment Increased – 19544

  1. The Newton Record, Thu, Mar 14, 1940 ·Page 5 ↩︎
  2. The Newton Record, Thu, Apr 21, 1955 ·Page 10 ↩︎
  3. The Newton Record, Thu, Jan 24, 1935 ·Page 4 ↩︎
  4. The Newton Record, Thu, Sep 02, 1954 ·Page 1 ↩︎