The teacher: 'We haven't overcome yet. And the struggle still goes on'

By Sanjay Bhatt
Seattle Times staff reporter

JOHN LOK / THE SEATTLE TIMES William Huelett, 79, was one of Seattle's early black schoolteachers. He has tutored black children since he retired and blames low student achievement on low expectations.

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The musty odor of aging paper perfumes an apartment conspicuously adorned with portraits of Jesus Christ and the crucifix, articles of an inner faith of one of Seattle's first African-American teachers, hired two years before the Supreme Court struck down legally imposed segregation.

"We were supposed to do away with all segregation in schools, but it hasn't done it," said Huelett, 79.

Audio essay Four talk about what Brown v. Board means to them. Listen to their stories

Students need to realize how much more opportunity they have than his generation had and do the best they can, Huelett said. Too many young men hang their dreams only on pro sports, he said.

"We haven't really overcome, like Martin Luther King said, we haven't overcome yet. And the struggle still goes on. We have to do everything that we can in the right way to overcome the difficulties that we still face."

Copyright © 2004 The Seattle Times Company

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