Lois Mark Stalvey
Encyclopedia
Lois Mark Stalvey was an author, educator and civil rights
activist. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
and died in Sedona, Arizona
. A 1974 Time
magazine feature on her writing reported that Stalvey wrote, "a remarkable chronicle of a white family's confrontation with inner-city schools and a harsh indictment of an educational system that is a disaster for most of its pupils."
and started an ad firm called Lois Mark & Associates. In 1955 she married advertising director Bennett Stalvey Jr. and sold her firm to become a homemaker
.
In the late 1950s the couple moved to Omaha, Nebraska
, where Lois Stalvey joined in a fight for an African American
surgeon
's family to move into their segregated neighborhood in West Omaha, resulting in her husband being transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
in 1961.
In 1965 Stalvey formed the Panel of Philadelphians, which sent teams of four
women, including a Catholic
, a Jew, an African American
, and a WASP
, to talk with groups around the city about racial justice. The teams facilitated 110 programs in 1965.
Stalvey's first book, The Education of a WASP
, was published in 1970. In it she detailed her experience as a Caucasian
learning about civil rights as a mother in Omaha in the 1960s.
In 1976 Stalvey divorced her husband and moved to West Philadelphia. There she began teaching writing and journalism at the Community College of Philadelphia
, and wrote articles for the Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers.
Stalvey moved to Sedona, Arizona
in 1979 to continue writing. Education of an Ordinary Woman, published in 1982, along with Three to Get Ready: The Education of a White Family in Inner City
Schools, published in 1997, focused on her experiences after moving to the integrated West Mount Airy
neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Stalvey died in Sedona of emphysema
on December 7, 2004.
, multiculturalism
, white privilege, white allies
and other race-related and education-related pieces. She is also regularly cited by academics, including Ronald Salz of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, who based his 1997 commencement address on her work.
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist. She was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Milwaukee is the largest city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin, the 28th most populous city in the United States and 39th most populous region in the United States. It is the county seat of Milwaukee County and is located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan. According to 2010 census data, the...
and died in Sedona, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
. A 1974 Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
magazine feature on her writing reported that Stalvey wrote, "a remarkable chronicle of a white family's confrontation with inner-city schools and a harsh indictment of an educational system that is a disaster for most of its pupils."
Biography
Immediately after graduating from high school in the late 1940s Stalvey started her first writing job as a copy writer for the local Gimbels department store in Milwaukee. One year later, she married, and a year after that, she divorced. In the early 1950s she moved to ChicagoChicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and started an ad firm called Lois Mark & Associates. In 1955 she married advertising director Bennett Stalvey Jr. and sold her firm to become a homemaker
Homemaker
Homemaking is a mainly American term for the management of a home, otherwise known as housework, housekeeping or household management...
.
In the late 1950s the couple moved to Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha, Nebraska
Omaha is the largest city in the state of Nebraska, United States, and is the county seat of Douglas County. It is located in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about 20 miles north of the mouth of the Platte River...
, where Lois Stalvey joined in a fight for an African American
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska
African Americans in Omaha, Nebraska are central to the development and growth of the 43rd largest city in the United States. The first free black settler in the city arrived in 1854, the year the city was incorporated....
surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
's family to move into their segregated neighborhood in West Omaha, resulting in her husband being transferred to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
in 1961.
In 1965 Stalvey formed the Panel of Philadelphians, which sent teams of four
women, including a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
, a Jew, an African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
, and a WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
, to talk with groups around the city about racial justice. The teams facilitated 110 programs in 1965.
Stalvey's first book, The Education of a WASP
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant
White Anglo-Saxon Protestant or WASP is an informal term, often derogatory or disparaging, for a closed group of high-status Americans mostly of British Protestant ancestry. The group supposedly wields disproportionate financial and social power. When it appears in writing, it is usually used to...
, was published in 1970. In it she detailed her experience as a Caucasian
Caucasian race
The term Caucasian race has been used to denote the general physical type of some or all of the populations of Europe, North Africa, the Horn of Africa, Western Asia , Central Asia and South Asia...
learning about civil rights as a mother in Omaha in the 1960s.
In 1976 Stalvey divorced her husband and moved to West Philadelphia. There she began teaching writing and journalism at the Community College of Philadelphia
Community College of Philadelphia
The Community College of Philadelphia is a community college in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The main campus is located at 1700 Spring Garden Street in a building that was the former Philadelphia Mint...
, and wrote articles for the Philadelphia Inquirer and other newspapers.
Stalvey moved to Sedona, Arizona
Sedona, Arizona
Sedona is a city that straddles the county line between Coconino and Yavapai counties in the northern Verde Valley region of the U.S. state of Arizona...
in 1979 to continue writing. Education of an Ordinary Woman, published in 1982, along with Three to Get Ready: The Education of a White Family in Inner City
Inner city
The inner city is the central area of a major city or metropolis. In the United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Ireland, the term is often applied to the lower-income residential districts in the city centre and nearby areas...
Schools, published in 1997, focused on her experiences after moving to the integrated West Mount Airy
Mount Airy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mount Airy is a neighborhood of Northwest Philadelphia in the state of Pennsylvania.-Boundaries:Mount Airy is bounded on the northwest by the Cresheim Valley, which is part of Fairmount Park. Beyond this lies Chestnut Hill. On the west side is the Wissahickon Gorge, which is also part of Fairmount...
neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Stalvey died in Sedona of emphysema
Emphysema
Emphysema is a long-term, progressive disease of the lungs that primarily causes shortness of breath. In people with emphysema, the tissues necessary to support the physical shape and function of the lungs are destroyed. It is included in a group of diseases called chronic obstructive pulmonary...
on December 7, 2004.
Legacy
Stalvey is cited extensively in publications addressing racismRacism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, white privilege, white allies
White allies
White Allies are those members of the dominant culture , who actively resist the role of the oppressor, and who act as allies of people of color...
and other race-related and education-related pieces. She is also regularly cited by academics, including Ronald Salz of the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, who based his 1997 commencement address on her work.