Social Settlements: United States. Alabama. Calhoun. "Calhoun Colored School": Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Development of Social Standards Among the Negroes. Calhoun Colored School, Calhoun, Ala.: The Kindergarten. 1901

Curator: This photograph, attributed to Frances Benjamin Johnston, is titled "Social Settlements: United States. Alabama. Calhoun. 'Calhoun Colored School': Agencies Promoting Assimilation of the Negro. Development of Social Standards Among the Negroes. Calhoun Colored School, Calhoun, Ala.: The Kindergarten." Editor: It's incredibly stark, yet strangely hopeful. The light filtering through the window on the right illuminates those children, and it's where my eye is drawn. Curator: Johnston captured this image as part of a series documenting the Calhoun Colored School, which aimed to provide industrial and academic training to African American students in the early 20th century. Notice the objects in the foreground, like the dolls, that signify childhood. Editor: It's hard to ignore the weight of the title though, the phrase "Agencies Promoting Assimilation" feels very loaded, almost sinister, when you consider the broader context of racial inequality at the time. Curator: Indeed. It serves as a stark reminder of the complex and often contradictory forces at play in education during that era, reflecting both the desire for progress and the imposition of dominant cultural norms. Editor: Ultimately, despite the title, I am struck by the children and the teacher; I can't help but feel a sense of respect for their resilience.