Sara Roberson papers

Sara Roberson was a former Minneapolis Public School (MPS) teacher. Roberson was a graduate of Macalester College in St. Paul and United Theological Seminary in Minneapolis. This collection includes materials from Roberson's 30+ years as a teacher for MPS, as well as her mentorship and social justice work outside of the school system. During her tenure with MPS, Ms. Roberson was a very active participant in the integration and implementation of multi-cultural education programs into the school system. Roberson developed an accelerated program to serve the needs of indigenous students at Lyndale and Seward School. Given the name Northwind Warriors, the program was a successful model of positive impact that the introduction of indigenous knowledge, including language, storytelling, and symbology, could have on young learners. Roberson was also a core group of educators who participated in the Andersen School MCGFDA (Multi-Cultural Gender Fair and Disability Aware) Summer Lab Workshops. This initiative was a program that sought to advance anti-racism, gender and ability aware curriculum and teaching strategies in the Public Schools. Included in this collection is correspondence with colleagues, students, and administrators for the State of Minnesota, including Mark Dayton, and the MPS. This impressive set of materials are illustrative of a critical moment of change in Minneapolis public education history. Sara Roberson's extensive collection of more than 750 African American children's and other books can be found in the Givens Collection through lib.umn.edu.