Jerome Wilson

African American Children and Missionary Nuns and Priests in Mississippi: Achievement Against Jim Crow Odds Jerome Wilson

This book is about the unique educational experience of an African American segregated Catholic school in Mississippi from 1910 -1975. The school was founded and administered by nuns and priests from religious orders founded in Germany. This account focuses on the period between the 1940s to the 1960s which included a description and historical perspective of how despite the American apartheid system in operation in Mississippi at that time, one Catholic school with committed teachers and dedicated parents was successful in educating African American children. The story recounted here is not about the despair of growing up in Mississippi but about how a quality educational experience yields great outcomes when the goals of parents, teachers and the educational programs are intertwined. The significance of this book can be found in the power of integrating sound teaching, high expectations and strong parental support. Lessons learned from this educational experience has implications for the effective education of today's African American children as well as a model of success for broader and more heterogeneous student populations.