What We Stand to Lose: Black Teachers, the Culture They Created, and the Closure of a New Orleans High School

Spotlights the tireless work of Black teachers in a historic New Orleans public school, one of countless public schools now part of a school closing crisis in cities nationwide

Time and again, teachers of color have been blamed for every conceivable wrong in urban schools, a tactic that ignores the history of racism and bolsters the expansion of charter schools that lack community roots. Covering the rich, fifty-year legacy of George Washington Carver Senior High School from 1958-2005, What We Stand to Lose investigates how public school closures have impacted predominantly Black urban neighborhoods in New Orleans. This institutional history demonstrates the cultural value of school communities over time, including the ways they have navigated and excelled despite racism and state neglect.

Through oral history interviewing and archival research, antiracist organizer and author Kristen Buras offers an in-depth look into counter stories that oppose white majoritarian allegations of school failure. She conducted oral history interviews with more than 30 Carver alumni and teachers, unveiling the intergenerational culture that nurtured self-determination and an abiding sense of community in the face of endemic racism. In turn, Buras demonstrates Black teachers’ invaluable and often unrecognized contributions.

In compelling detail, Buras highlights the dire consequences of school closings, illuminating why the assault on veteran teachers, and the communities they have fostered, is the civil rights issue of our era.