Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book describes the history of Harlem Preparatory School, an independent, privately financed and tuition-free "community school" that existed in New York City from 1967 to 1974. It examines the life experiences of Chinese American educators, grounded in the understanding that their personal histories were the impetus and life force of their activism. The book also examines the graduate school experiences of Black professional educators during the segregated era. It provides insights into how teacher educators partnered with local community and family mentors and, subsequently, how teacher candidates who participated in this partnership utilized their own agency through community teaching. The book presents a small slice of the resistance work that has taken place in schools and classrooms all over the country throughout the history of education in the United States.