Teacher's race does not matter
Hicks does not think that the race of a teacher matters to a black student as long as that teacher is sensitive to the students' needs.
Citing this Excerpt
Oral History Interview with Richard Hicks, February 1, 1991. Interview M-0023. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Full Text of the Excerpt
Well, it's kind of getting off of it a
little bit but do you think that your having such a large number of
blacks, do you think having the 70% of black teachers has anything to do
with the success of the children?
- RICHARD HICKS:
-
I'm going to give you an answer to that question about the 70%
black teachers probably being a strong force toward realizing what we
need to. I'm going to have to say that it is good to have
that kind of ratio in the situation that we have but it is not necessary
for that to exist in order for success to occur. The reason that I have
got to say that is that you must remember that I have been principal of
two fully integrated schools. When I left Parker Junior High School down
in Rocky Mount I had a staff that was about 65% white and 45% black and
we were at or above the state level in terms of scores every year that I
was there. I left there and went to a junior high school in Hillsboro
where it was 77% white and 23% black in terms of teaching and we had the
same kind of thing occurring. We were a center for English Teacher of
Excellence and that kind of thing. I think the key however, is having
people who are sensitive to the needs of students and if you have any
kind of combination regardless of the color of the skin who will be
sensitive to the needs of that child, you can get the job done. It just
means that we are in a situation here where we are 70% black and I think
we are in a position to get the job done with that kind of a ratio.