Joseph Watras taught the history and philosophy of education in the University of Dayton School of Education and Health Sciences from 1979 until his death in 2016. He was the author of Politics, Race, and Schools: Racial Integration, 1954-1994, an examination of political controversies surrounding the racial desegregation of public and private schools, using the example of Dayton and its 40-year effort to overcome segregation.

This collection contains the transcripts of interviews with students, faculty, administrators and community members about their experiences with desegregation of schools in Dayton. As digitization continues, other items will be added, including research, data, bibliographies and recordings.