Wandering in Two Worlds: Race Citizenship and Education Since 1945

Andrew Lewis

“School Reform, Suburbanization, and the Changing Politics of the South,” focuses on events in Arlington, Virginia, from the end of World War II in 1945 to the start of token integration in 1959. The paper looks at how the school reform movement that emerged in the Forties reshaped Arlington’s politics and rippled across the rest of Virginia. In particular, the reformers spoke in a broad language of inclusion and opportunity that challenged the dominant conservative ethos. The paper then demonstrates how the reform movement decisively shaped the collapse of popular support in 1959 for the state’s program of massive resistance to school integration.

About Andrew Lewis

Andrew Lewis holds a Ph.D. from the University of Virginia. This paper is drawn from “Wandering in Two Worlds” his nearly-completed book on school reform, citizenship, and race in post-World War II Virginia. Lewis is the editor of several books, including Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table (with Julian Bond) and The Moderates’ Dilemma (with Matthew Lassiter). His work has also appeared in the op-ed section of the Washington Post. He had a Spencer Foundation Pre-Doctoral Fellowship and fellowships from the Carter G. Woodson Institute for African and Afro-American History, and the Center for Children, Family, and the Law. He has taught at the University of Virginia and SUNY-Binghamton.