May 15, 2026
Three generations of women educators reflect on how Brown v. Board of Education shaped their lives and communities. Through personal stories, the episode explores school desegregation, family legacy and the lasting impact of education policy.
Key takeaways
- Brown v. Board of Education reshaped educational opportunities across generations of the Russaw family.
- School desegregation was a gradual, complex process with personal risks and sacrifices.
- Black educators and communities built strong schools despite inequities and limited resources.
- Access to education often depended on systems and circumstances, not ability.
- Family legacy and lived experiences help explain today’s education landscape.
Resource from the Intercultural Development Research Association (IDRA), a nonprofit advancing education equity.
In this special Mother’s Day episode of the IDRA Classnotes Podcast, three generations of the Russaw family share how the legacy of Brown v. Board of Education lives on in their own lives.
IDRA staff attorney Makiah Lyons, J.D., is joined by her mother, award-winning educator and former principal Jocelyn Mills, and her grandmother, lifelong educator Janet Russaw.
Together, they reflect on growing up during school desegregation in Jefferson County, Tenn., and the choices, sacrifices and courage that shaped their family’s path in education.
Through personal stories, they explore what desegregation looked like beyond the headlines – from stepping onto a bus to integrate schools to navigating loss, opportunity and community change. Their conversation highlights how one generation’s barriers became the next generation’s opportunities.
This episode honors the “seeds” planted by Black families and educators – and the lasting impact of those efforts on today’s students and schools.
“We got their old textbooks, we got their old typewriters… when they got new stuff, we got their old stuff.” – Janet Russaw
“It’s very interesting to have this conversation, especially for me, because you realize where you were standing in your place in history. Because… from where I came through, I literally was in the middle of all of that transition.” – Jocelyn Mills
“I feel like every student deserves a chance to learn. The expectations for our kids, and especially our boys, was very, very low. I felt like that needed to change.” – Janet Russaw
Resources
Brown v Board of Education – The Law in Education, by Makiah Lyons, J.D., & Paige Duggins-Clay, J.D.
Jefferson County, Tennessee, Black in Appalachia
Black History Month Features, IDRA
Show length: 50:54 min.
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