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Charles Kruner and Crispien Van Alest

From the Collection: Pain and Promise: Remembering the Fight for School Integration


In this recording, Crispien Van Alest interviews his family friend Charles Kruner about the integration of schools in his native Lawndale section of Chicago. Kruner, a former teacher, remembers the use of stereotypes against Black students and families by white teachers and residents during the time. He discusses the struggle he faced in counteracting his co-workers’ belief that Black students were incapable of or uninterested in learning.

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