ABSTRACT
Black2 public school educators in Philadelphia have been essential, vulnerable, and dubious almost since the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) began in 1818. By 2009, SDP’s Black student population remained steady for years at about 70%, while Black educators had declined from 36% in 1978 to 29% (Dean, 2008). This chapter explores Black Philadelphia educators’ resilience and efficacy as they navigated education policy reforms and school district politics from 1967 to 2007, through six superintendents, chronic underfunding and instability, a series of strikes, and a state takeover. In the Holy Bible, Jesus Christ and his disciples were caught in a dangerous storm on a boat, and they asked him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” He responded to them, “Peace, be still,” and when the storm calmed, he chastised their fear and lack of faith in the storm (Mark 4:38-40 New King James Version). Essentially, these Black educators demonstrated the type of peace and faith in the midst of their professional uncertainty and chaos that Jesus Christ urged of his disciples.
