"To preserve the stories or narratives I've briefly discussed with you this morning, along with the many other stories recounting teachers' lives, their pedagogical influences and their classroom approaches, highlight a vital, but often overlooked dimension of education and the Civil Rights Movement. Eliciting and documenting these stories not only supports the notion of teachers as activists, but also illuminates the influential role that teachers can play in contemporary movements for civil rights and social justice. And it is my hope that these narratives will inform the current generation about their vital role as teachers and activists."
— Penn State Alumni Fellow Derrick Alridge, speaking about his “Teachers in the Movement” project, which includes oral history interviews with elementary, secondary and university teachers and educators about their participation in and efforts during the Civil Rights Movement. Alridge is visiting the University Park campus as one of 16 Penn State alumni who were selected to receive the 2019 Alumni Fellow Award, the most prestigious award given by the Penn State Alumni Association. He earned his doctoral degree from the Penn State College of Education in educational theory and policy in 1997.