Black Education in Charlottesville

The Reflector's coverage of education during the Jim Crow era portrayed larger issues in Negro education in the South. Teachers, school programs, the content of those programs, and the acheivements and activities of students (Jefferson School students in 1928-29 pictured above) covered in The Reflector exemplify the interest of southern black communities in education (Anderson). Practices at the Jefferson School (teachers in 1920 pictured below) depicted the presence of a tradional curriculum instead of one based on producing industrial workers. Like many blacks in the Jim Crow South, the Jefferson School community recognized the value of liberal education practice in promoting social and economic progress.

Numerous articles in The Reflector portrayed the support of Charlottesville's African American community for education. The "Jefferson School Notes", an occasional column in The Reflector, shared various student accomplishments and happenings within Jefferson School, an African American School in Charlottesville that included primary grades as well as one of six accreditted black high schools in Virginia during the time. The activities depicted in the "School Notes" indicate the presence of traditional academic coursework and numerous clubs and organizations active within the school (Drama Club in 1940 pictured below). Teachers' involvements were also noted in the "Jefferson School Notes" as well as in various other articles.

The Reflector's coverage of the African-American community's involvement with local education mirrored a fascinating trend in Southern African-American life. Southern African-American communities own a long history of supporting local schools and resisting attempts to confine the power of liberal education. Numerous articles portrayed such genuine concern with local education and addressed the importance of meaningful community involvement. National issues that concerned Negro education were also covered in The Reflector.