Geraldine Powe discusses her education in segregated schools in Charlotte, North Carolina. She talks about positive relationships between parents and teachers; living briefly in New York City as a student; school discipline, including paddling in schools; limited opportunities for African American students; and influential teachers in her life. She also discusses her college experiences at Johnson C. Smith University and Bank Street College in New York. Ms. Powe explains differences between living in the South and New York in regard to racism and the educational system, and talks about teaching in New York as an adult. She expresses her opinions on how Brown v. Board of Education and school integration did not make schools equal or really help the African American community, on why housing projects are not good for the people they try to serve, and on giving back to the community through volunteering.