Women's Forum Oral History Collection Interview Index

Karen Dupree Garr was born April 25, 1947 in Hawkinsville, Georgia. Her father worked as a banker and her mother worked as a teacher. She earned a Bachelor's degree in education from Wesleyan College and a Masters degree in Education from UNC Chapel Hill. She moved to North Carolina in the late 1960s to work at an all-Black school. During her teaching career, Garr taught 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades. She became aware of the ERA through her involvement in the National Education Association. She recognized inequalities in the education profession, such as how men held the majority of administrative positions while the field was mostly women. Garr worked on the Women’s Caucus of the National Education Association (NEA), as well as the Women’s Caucus of NEA’s North Carolina chapter, and pushed for the association to support the ERA both nationally and at the state level. She worked as a Teacher Advisor during Governor Hunt’s administration and contributed to the Excellent Schools Act and standards for National Board Certification.