Available From UC Press

Education in Black and White

Myles Horton and the Highlander Center's Vision for Social Justice

Stephen Preskill

How Myles Horton and the Highlander Folk School catalyzed social justice and democratic education

For too long, the story of life-changing teacher and activist Myles Horton has escaped the public spotlight. An inspiring and humble leader whose work influenced the civil rights movement, Horton helped thousands of marginalized people gain greater control over their lives. Born and raised in early twentieth-century Tennessee, Horton was appalled by the disrespect and discrimination that was heaped on poor people—both black and white—throughout Appalachia. He resolved to create a place that would be available to all, where regular people could talk, learn from one another, and get to the heart of issues of class and race, and right and wrong. And so in 1932, Horton cofounded the Highlander Folk School, smack in the middle of Tennessee.

The first biography of Myles Horton in twenty-five years, Education in Black and White focuses on the educational theories and strategies he first developed at Highlander to serve the interests of the poor, the marginalized, and the oppressed. His personal vision keenly influenced everyone from Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King, Jr., to Eleanor Roosevelt and Congressman John Lewis. Stephen Preskill chronicles how Horton gained influence as an advocate for organized labor, an activist for civil rights, a supporter of Appalachian self-empowerment, an architect of an international popular-education network, and a champion for direct democracy, showing how the example Horton set remains education’s best hope for today.

Stephen Preskill is a writing consultant at Columbia University. During his thirty years as a university professor, he specialized in American educational history and leadership studies. He has coauthored four previous books concerning teacher narratives, democratic discussion, and social justice leadership.

"At a moment when democratic traditions are under assault, this book could hardly be more timely. The story of Myles Horton and Highlander reminds us that the late twentieth-century movements for social justice were often movements of democratic aspirations, committed to developing the untapped potential of the oppressed."—Charles M. Payne, author of I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle

"As a former staff member of Highlander, I had the privilege of learning from and with Myles Horton over two decades. This well-researched book captures the Highlander Center's unique approach to using popular education to deepen democracy and strengthen struggles for social justice—a story that is both instructive and inspirational for our times."—John Gaventa, author of Power and Powerlessness: Quiescence and Rebellion in an Appalachian Valley

"In this absorbing biography, Stephen Preskill transports us to another era. Miles Horton, a great humanitarian who lived and worked in a strikingly relevant time and place in America, spent his earliest days among the poorest people of the South. Told through his monumental contributions to our labor and civil rights movements, the story unfolds in colorful detail. As we now face an uncertain tomorrow, it is more important than ever to explore the troubled waters of the past to guide our future, and with this book, Preskill provides a useful sextant to help us navigate."—Mick Caouette, filmmaker

"This book is important. It should have a wide readership among educators from multiple settings, social activists, organizers, and leaders."—Stephen Brookfield, Distinguished Scholar, Antioch University

384 pp.6 x 9Illus: 8 page insert with 14 black and white photos

9780520302051$29.95|£25.00Hardcover

May 2021