Rare 1972 Pelican first edition documenting a Louisiana teacher’s integration-year diary, edited by Sue Eakin.

First edition (1972) softcover of May I Speak? Diary of a Crossover Teacher by Manie Culbertson, edited and introduced by historian Sue Eakin. Published by Pelican Publishing, Gretna, Louisiana.

An intimate, firsthand account of a white Louisiana teacher assigned to an all-Black school during the early years of desegregation. Culbertson’s diary captures the emotions, challenges, and humanity of the “crossover” experience from the inside out.

Edited by Sue Eakin, co-editor of Twelve Years a Slave, this book offers rare insight into the cultural shifts in Southern education during the civil rights era.

Interior clean and tightly bound; light edge toning. An uncommon Pelican title of high regional and historical interest.