This week's guest is Dr. Ansley T. Erickson, author of Making the Unequal Metropolis: School Desegregation and its Limits. Ansley is an Associate Professor of History and Education at Teachers College Columbia University, and I think her book should be required reading for anyone interested in how politics, policy, housing, power, and privilege shaped Nashville's schools.

In the interview, we discuss the early days of desegregation in Nashville, how local, state, and federal policies shaped our unequal landscape, vocational education, misconceptions about busing, and much more.

Mentioned in this episode:

• Walking Into History: The Beginning of School Desegregation in Nashville by John Egerton
• The Promise, a special podcast series from Nashville Public Radio
• Student diversity push upsets some parents at UWS school by Lindsey Christ