Florida State Teachers Association
| Headquarters | Florida |
|---|---|
| Leader | Edward Daniel Davis |
Leader | Gilbert Laurence Porter |
The Florida State Teachers Association (FSTA) was an organization of Black educators, administrators, other staff, and parents in Florida.[1] Black teachers faced discrimination and underfunded schools. Activist educators in the group advocated for civil rights and educational opportunities.[2]
History
The FSTA was founded in 1890 as the Association of Colored Teachers.[3] In the early 1920s, it was renamed the Florida State Teachers Association (FSTA)[3]. In 1966, following decades of advocacy for Black educators, the group merged with the Florida Education Association (FEA) to create a single, racially integrated statewide organization.[4] In 1974, the integrated FEA split into two rival groups over disagreements on how to run the union.[5] In 2000, the two rivals, the Florida Teaching Profession (NEA) and FEA-United (AFT), merged back together to form the modern Florida Education Association.
It was the largest teacher organization in Florida.[6] Hubert Humphrey prepared a speech to the group in 1964.[7] The group published the Florida State Teachers' Bulletin.
The Tampa branch helped organize the Turner v Keefe lawsuit targeting lower pay for Boack teachers.[8]
Emmett W. Bashful, a political scientist at Florida A& M University, surveyed members about voter registration and voting by group members.[9]
The Florida Archives include a photo of the group's kitchen in Tallahassee.[10]
Edward Daniel Davis[11] and Gilbert Lawrence Porter were leaders in the group. A book discusses Porter's work.[12] A Miami elementary school is named for him.[13]
School boards closed schools for African Americans and many Black teachers and administrators lost their jobs.[14]
References
- ^ "Black Educators: Florida's Secret Social Justice Advocates, 1920–1960". exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu.
- ^ Houchen, Diedre Faith (November 26, 2020). "An 'Organized Body of Intelligent Agents', Black Teacher Activism during 'De Jure' Segregation: A Historical Case Study of the Florida State Teachers Association". Journal of Negro Education. 89 (3): 267–281. JSTOR 10.7709/jnegroeducation.89.3.0267 – via ERIC.
- ^ a b "Bulletin archives". onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu. Archived from the original on 2025-08-25. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ "Black Educators: Florida's Secret Social Justice Advocates, 1920-1960". exhibits.uflib.ufl.edu. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ Florida, State Library and Archives of. "Florida Memory • Program for the Conference on Faculty Desegregation, 1966". Florida Memory. Retrieved 2026-02-13.
- ^ Emmons, Caroline (2003). "'Not a Single Battle but Rather a Real War': The Fight to Equalize Teachers' Salaries in Florida in the 1930s and 1940s". The Florida Historical Quarterly. 81 (4): 418–439. JSTOR 30150945.
- ^ Text of Humphrey speec
- ^ Shircliffe, Barbara J. (February 26, 2012). "Rethinking Turner v. Keefe: The Parallel Mobilization of African-American and White Teachers in Tampa, Florida, 1936–1946". History of Education Quarterly. 52 (1): 99–136. doi:10.1111/j.1748-5959.2011.00374.x. S2CID 142501177 – via Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "The Florida Legislative Investigation Committee (FLIC) · A University in Transition: The Long Path to Integration · A University in Transition: The Long Path to Integration". universityintransition.omeka.net.
- ^ "Florida Memory • Interior view showing kitchen at the Florida State Teachers Association building in Tallahassee, Florida".
- ^ "Edward Daniel Davis". The Florida Civil Rights Hall of Fame.
- ^ Porter, Dr Gilbert L. "Dr. Gilbert L. Porter". Dr. Gilbert L. Porter.
- ^ "About Us". mysite.
- ^ "Teachers: Segregation by Integration". Time. 18 June 1965.
Further reading
- Neyland, Leedell W.; Riley, John W. (1963). The History of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. University of Florida Press. ISBN 978-0-598-20541-4.
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