Schools in African American History All pictures taken by Percy White and are the property of FindFamilyRoots.com unless otherwise indicated.
Dunbar High School 1301 New Jersey Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20001 202-673-7233 |
Dunbar High School, chartered in November of 1870, was one of two public high schools built specifically for black students in Washington, DC. The other, Armstrong Manual Training School was built on the educational principles of Booker T. Washington. Dunbar was also the first high school for blacks in the nation. Notables graduating from Dunbar include: Sterling Brown, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Charles R. Drew, Charles Hamilton Houston, Robert H. Terrell, Senator Eleanor Holmes Norton, Senator Edward Brooke and Robert C. Weaver. Faculty members included Anna Julia Cooper, Kelly Miller, Mary Church Terrell, and Dr. Carter G. Woodson.
PICTURED: The current Dunbar High School, NW, Washington, DC.
SOURCES: Books Fitzpatrick Sandra and Goodwin, Maria R. "The guide to Black Washington." New York: Hippocrene Books, 1990. Print. Site Visit Dunbar High School. Washington, DC, 14 Dec. 2008.
SUBMITTED: December 14, 2008. Picture taken December 14, 2008.
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NEW William Frantz Elementary School
3811 North Galvez Street
New Orleans, LA 70117 (504) 942-3543 |
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On May 17, 1954, the Supreme Court in Brown v. Board of Education ordered schools throughout the United States to desegregate “…with all deliberate speed.” However, the Court did not give a date for the change to begin. Two years later, public schools in New Orleans had not been desegregated. In 1956, Federal District Court Judge J. Skelly Wright ordered the desegregation of New Orleans schools. After several appeals, in May of 1960, Judge Wright ordered that New Orleans schools begin integrating by November 14, 1960. He set out a plan to integrate schools beginning with the first grade and with each successive school year, the next grade would be integrated.
In the spring of 1960, black kindergarten students took a test to determine which of them would integrate the all-white, first grade classes. Six students were selected and four agreed to participate. Leona Tate, Gail Etienne and Tessie Prevost were sent to McDonogh 19 School. On November 14, 1960, six year old Ruby Bridges was escorted through an angry mob of white parents shouting threats and racial slurs in to William Frantz Elementary School. Norman Rockwell capture her walking to school in a painting “The Problem We All Live With”. White citizen’s counsels were outraged and called for a boycott of the schools. By the end of the third week of school, white parents removed all but three children from William Frantz School. At McDonogh 19, all the white students were removed. Ruby’s father was fired from his job and white store owners would not sell to Ruby’s family. Throughout the school year, Ruby was isolated from other students. Her class consisted of just her and her teacher, Barbara Henry, who was supportive. In 1961 Ruby Bridges completed the first grade.
PICTURES: Top: Brown v. Board of Education Decision courtesy of the National Archives. Bottom: William Frantz Elementary School.
SOURCES: Books Bridges, Ruby. "Through My Eye First Edition." New York: Scholastic Press, 1999. Print. Hall, Kermi, L. and Ely Jr, James, W., "Brown v. Board of Education The Oxford Guide to United States Supreme Court Decisions." Second Edition. New York: Oxford, 2009. Print. Internet "Brown v. Board of Education at Fifty." Ruby Bridges Library of Congress Exhibitions, Web. 10 Oct. 2011. "Judge J. Skelly Wright." Judge J. Skelly Wright, Web. 10 Oct. 2011. "People and Events Rubry Bridges and Intergration of New Orleans Schools."New Orleans An American Experience, Web. 10 Oct. 2011. "Retracing the hard first steps towards integration of N.O. public school." WWLTV.com, Web. 10 Oct. 2011. "Ruby Bridges." Ruby Bridges, Web. 10 Oct. 2011. "Teaching With Documents: Documents Related to Brown v. Board of Education." National Archives Brown v. Board o Education, Web. 10 Oct. 2011.
Site Visit William Frantz School. New Orleans, LA. 29 Apr. 2011.
SUBMITTED: October 10, 2011. Pictures taken April 29, 2011.
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Little Rock Central High School 2120 Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive Little Rock, AR 72202
501-374-1957 |
On September 3, 1957, nine black students Minnijean Brown, Elizabeth Eckford, Earnest Green, Thelma Mothershed, Melba Partillio, Gloria Ray, Terrance Roberts, Jefferson Thomas and Carlotta Walls were escorted by Little Rock Police undetected in the side door of Little Rock Central High School. In front of the school stood an angry mob of approximately 1000 white people who were against desegregation. When the mob discovered the nine students had entered the school, their aggression increased and the students were escorted out of the school.
On September 24, the Mayor of Little Rock, Woodrow Mann sent a telegram to President Dwight D. Eisenhower requesting that he send federal troops to Little Rock. The president sent troops and federalized the entire Arkansas National Guard taking its authority away from Orval Faubus the Governor of Arkansas.
On September 25, 1957, the nine black students entered Little Rock Central High School under the security of soldiers from the 101st Airborne Division of the United States Army. Earnest Green was the first black to graduate from the school in 1958.
PICTURED: Top: Little Rock Central High School, 2120 Daisy Bates Drive, Little Rock, AR 72202, Visitor Center 501-374-1957.
SOURCES: Books Rubel, David. "The Coming Free: The Struggle for African-American Equality." New York: DK Publishing, 2005. Print. Appiah, Kwame, Anthony and Gates, Henry Louis, ed. "Africana The Encyclopedia of the African and African American Experience." 1st ed. New York: Civitas, 1999. Print. Internet "Little Rock Central High School." nps.gov/nr/travel/civilrights/ak1.htm, Web. 16 Dec. 2005. Site Visit Little Rock Central High School. Little Rock, AR. 27 Dec. 2005.
SUBMITTED: April 5, 2008. Pictures taken December 27, 2005.
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Robert R. Moton High School/Museum 900 Griffin Boulevard P.O. Box 908 Farmville, VA 23901 434-315-8775 |
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The following is written on the Civil Rights in Education Heritage Trail sign in front of the Moton Museum: "On this site of the former Robert R. Moton High School, the actions of some brave African-American students to achieve equal educational opportunities eventually lead to the end of legal segregation in American public schools. Moton was built to house 180 black students. On April 23, 1951, it held 450 instead, with some classes conducted in ‘Tar Paper Shacks,’ resulting in student walkout protesting the unequal facilities, course offerings and buses. Within weeks the students sought legal redress of their grievances. The NAACP agreed to support a suit for school integration, believing that goal to be in the best interest of the community. The subsequent case Davis et al. v. County School Board of Prince Edward, was decided by the United States Supreme Court in 1954 in its landmark Brown v. Board decision, which stated that “in the field of public education the doctrine of ‘separate but equal’ has no place. A second Brown Decision in 1955 mandated that integration be achieved “with all deliberate speed. Rather than integrate its public schools, Prince Edward County withheld funds for all public education. As a result, all of the county’s public schools were closed from 1959 until 1964, when the Supreme Court ruled in Griffin v. Prince Edward County that localities must fund and operate public schools. Today, Prince Edward’s fully integrated public schools bear the legacy of a fight for civil rights in education that began here with a courageous, non-violent act by a group of high school students and resulted in three historic United States Supreme Court rulings. In 1998 the site was designated a National Historic Landmark. In 2001 it formally opened as a museum."
PICTURES: Top: Robert R. Moton School/Museum. Second Row: Moton High School c.1953. The tar paper buildings added to expand the capacity of the school can be seen at the left and the right. Third Row L: Students arrive for school at tar paper building, c.1953. Third Row R: Moton High School student's sign demonstrating their determination to get a new school building. The students walked out of their classes April 23, 1951, beginning a two weeks strike. Fourth Row L: Class in tar paper building, c.1953. Fourth Row R: Rev. L. Francis Griffin Sr. led the Moton High School students in their protest against unequal facilities, course offerings and buses. Picture taken October 25, 2008. Bottom L: Stone marker in front of the museum dedicated to the students of Moten High School. Bottom R: The students of Moton High School as pictured on stone maker in front of the museum. All of the pictures except for those of Robert Moton School and Museum are pictures taken of sections of the memorials located on the grounds.
SOURCES:
Site Visit Robert R. Moton School/Museum Tour. Farmville, VA. 25 Dec. 2008.
SUBMITTED: December 26, 2008. Pictures taken October 25, 2008. Black/whites taken of history marker on October 25, 2008.
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Memorial to Barbara Johns and the Students of R. R. Moton High School Virginia State Capitol Grounds in front of the Governor's Mansion Richmond, Virginia 23219 |
Written on the plaque in front of the memorial are the words: "On April 23, 1951, 16-year-old Barbara Johns and several fellow students led a strike to protest the deplorable conditions at their racially segregated Prince Edward County School. The Rev. L Francis Griffin united parents in support of the strike and encouraged the students to contact NAACP attorneys Oliver Hill and Spottswood Robinson. The lawsuit that followed was brought before the U.S. Supreme Court and joined with four other cases as Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka Kansas (1954), in which the Court ruled that racially separate educational systems are inherently unequal and unconstitutional. This memorial is dedicated to these Virginians and countless others who courageously fought for the principals upon which the nation and this Commonwealth were founded."
PICTURES: Memorial to Barbara Johns and the Students of R. R. Moton High School.
SOURCES:
Site Visit Memorial to Barbara Johns and the Students of R. R. Moton High School. Richmond, VA. 11 Sept. 2010.
SUBMITTED: September 23, 2010. Pictures taken September 11, 2010.
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Memorial to Barbara Johns and the Students of R. R. Moton High School (continued) Virginia State Capitol Grounds in front of the Governor's Mansion |
PICTURES: Memorial to Barbara Johns and the Students of R. R. Moton High School continued.
SOURCES:
Site Visit Memorial to Barbara Johns and the Students of R. R. Moton High School. Richmond, VA. 11 Sept. 2010.
SUBMITTED: September 23, 2010. Pictures taken September 11, 2010.
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The Schoolhouse Museum 516 Main Street P.O.Box 1113 Smithfield, Virginia 23431 |
Smithfield Schoolhouse, originally built as an addition to the Christian Home School around 1924, was originally located on two acres of land in eastern Isle of Wight County, Virginia near Chuckatuck. Construction of the addition was financed in part by the Rosenwald Fund.
Named after Julius Rosenwald, part owner and president of Sears & Roebuck Company, the Rosenwald Fund promoted the "well being of mankind." Rosenwald supported the doctrine of separate but equal. However, he gave millions of dollars to support the education of African Americans by financing the construction of more than 5,000 schools and 4,000 school libraries throughout rural areas of the south. Money he donated, $4.3 million, was matched and exceeded by the $4.7 million raised by African American communities. Schools receiving funds became known as Rosenwald Schools. Many of them are still standing, some have been rehabilitated and others are in varying degrees of dilapidation or have been demolished. Note: Information provided courtesy of Ms. Phyllis J. Wellons, Schoolhouse Museum Coordinator. I am grateful and appreciate her vast wealth of knowledge regarding Smithfield Schoolhouse, the City of Smithfield and Isle of Wight County. Percy White, Historian
PICTURED: Top L: The Schoolhouse Museum. Top R: Smithfield Schoolhouse Painting. Second Row L: Outhouse. Second Row R: Sign in front of building. Third Row L: View from inside the school. Third Row R: Graduation from elementary school diploma. Bottom Row L: African American teacher's contract. Bottom Row M: George W. Gwaltney and students. In 1870 Mr. Gwaltney fully financed and built the pictured school. He made his own blackboards and maps and retired in the 1920's. Bottom R: Julius Rosenwald.
SOURCES:
Site Visit The Schoolhouse Museum. Smithfield, VA. 23 Oct. 2010.
SUBMITTED: October 24, 2010. Pictures taken October 23, 2010. Black/whites are pictures taken of pictures.
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Pictures taken and submitted by Percy White unless otherwise indicated Return to Top African American History, African American Culture, African American Churches, African American Cemeteries, African American Schools, Places of Interest in African American History |