Author Talk: Tikia K. Hamilton — Nothing Less Than Equality - with George Derek Musgrove

Author Tikia K. Hamilton discusses their book "Nothing Less Than Equality" at Politics and Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C.

A critical analysis of African Americans’ collective efforts to obtain educational equality before Brown v. Board of Education.

The landmark Brown v. Board of Education case, which barred racial segregation in American public schools, wasn’t the only path for Black parents, teachers, and activists who sought equality of educational opportunity. Some believed that the solution to inequality lay in pressing the federal government to live up to the Jim Crow doctrine of “separate but equal” by providing more resources to Black schools. And for a time, this seemed true in Washington, DC, where Black activists leveraged their status as residents of the nation’s capital to advocate on behalf of Black education. However, disappointments with the “separate but equal” strategy and a sea change in activism led to an embrace of integration.

Tikia K. Hamilton is an Assistant Professor of History at Loyola University Chicago. Her research and courses focus on African American History. Dr. Hamilton holds a Ph.D. in History from Princeton University and a masters in African American Studies from Columbia University. She attended Dartmouth College for her undergraduate work, where she majored in History under a Mellon Fellowship. Dr. Hamilton is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Spencer Fellowship from the National Academy of Education. She currently serves as the foundational chair of the Programming and Diversity Committees at Loyola. She worked as a consultant for the DC History Center's current exhibit Class Action: Education and Opportunity in the Nation's Capital (2025-2030). In 2025, she was also named as one of "Top 40 Women Making a Difference in Academe" by Diversity: Issues in Higher Education. She also owns operates Triple Ivy Writing and Educational Solutions. She has lengthy experience teaching at the secondary and undergraduate levels and working as an educational consultant.

Hamilton is in conversation with George Derek Musgrove, Ph.D., an Associate Professor of History at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is the author of several books and articles including Chocolate City, A History of Race and Democracy in the Nation’s Capital (UNC, 2017) which he co-authored with Chris Myers Asch and the 2021 website blackpowerindc. He lives with his wife and two sons in Washington, D.C.

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