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The Institute for Colored Youth Established
The Institute for Colored Youth, later renamed "Cheyney University" was the first HBCU (Historically Black Colleges/Universities) established in 1837. Its establishment is important in the landscape of Multicultural Education because it was the first institution of Higher Education in America that legally educated non-white students, setting the precedent for 106 additional HBCUs to become established.
Link to Current Cheyney: https://cheyney.edu/for-parents/history-traditions/ -
End of American Chattel Slavery
The end of chattel slavery is significant in the landscape of Multicultural Education because prior to slavery ending, it was illegal to educate enslaved people. The ending of slavery occurring was the first time in 400+ years that a black person in the South could be legally educated on American soil, which sparked a desire for equality in education in the decades to come. Article: https://americanexperience.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/Literacy-as-Freedom.pdf -
Brown V. Board of Education (Pictured: "A Year After Brown" Photograph)
Overturning the previous legislation of "Plessy V. Ferguson" of 1896 that deemed "Separate, but Equal" accommodations for "whites and coloreds", Brown Vs. Board of Education ended legalized segregation in educational settings. This is significant in the history of Multicultural Education because prior to this, schools, materials, bussing and teachers were segregated, with the colored schools not having true support from their counties, and white schools receiving the best that was offered. -
Civil Rights Act of 1964
The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination against people for their race, color, religion, national origin and sex. This impacted Multicultural Education because diverse populations now had legislation to help fight against discrimination, solidified the abolishment of segregated schools, furthered the mission for equality and equity in Education and laid the foundation for the culturally sensitive educational works that followed.
Picture: Signing of the Civil Rights Act -
Bilingual Education Act (BEA)
The BEA provided federal funding for students who did not speak English as a first language and helped establish programming that would benefit those students. This was a major event in Multicultural Education History because this was the first time that funding had been made available for Bilingual students and their unique needs, and paved the way for students speaking other languages to also receive quality education.
Video: https://youtu.be/CzTt_oLD1nc?si=V_ate6q_oOU2A4uJ