Tag Archives: African American Teachers

William Spaulding: Teacher, politician, and dedicated public servant

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Washington, DC’s William Spaulding: Exemplary teacher, engineer, accomplished politician, and dedicated public servant. Photo credit: Historical Council Photographs.

Many fine educators have also earned distinction in the political realm. One of these is William Spaulding, a teacher who was elected as a member of the inaugural Council of the District of Columbia when Washington, DC, earned home rule.

William was born on June 15, 1924, in North Carolina. William attended Howard University, a traditionally Black institution of higher learning located in Washington, DC. There he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering.

Once he earned his degree, William taught school in DC public schools. His career there spanned from 1947 to 1952. He also taught at Howard University from 1950 to 1960. In addition, during that period he served as an engineer at the National Security Agency (NSA) from 1952 to 1974.

When Congress passed the District of Columbia home rule bill, the former public school teacher left his position with the NSA. He was elected on the Democratic ticket to a seat on the newly-formed DC Council, where he served from 1975 to 1987.

In 1980, William became a professor at the University of the District of Columbia, another historically Black college. He also served as the Chairman of the Fort Lincoln Foundation, a Board member of the Kidney Foundation, and a member of the American Heart Association. He also served as the Director of the Department of Administrative Services for the District of Columbia Court System.

In 2013, the University of the District of Columbia conferred upon William an honorary doctorate, in recognition of his nearly 60 years of “dedicated service to DC Public Schools and other organizations on behalf of the city’s youth, reflecting his unwavering support of education as a means of improving individual lives and the whole community.” To read the entire proclamation, see this link: Conferral of Honorary Degree.

Fannie Motley made contributions to Civil Rights Movement

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Alabama’s Fannie Motley, an elementary school teacher, made important contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. Photo credit: Encyclopedia of alabama.

Many distinguished educators, both Black and White, made important contributions to the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960’s. One such educator was elementary school teacher Fannie Motley.

Fannie Ernestine Smith was born on January 25, 1927, in Perdue Hill, Alabama, a small town near Monroeville. As a young woman, she attended all-Black Selma Baptist University from 1944-1946. There she met her future husband, D.L. Motley, a ministerial student. Fannie interrupted her education in 1949 when the couple married and had two children.

Shortly after the 1954 Supreme Court decision of Brown v. Board of Education, Fannie overcame her strong fear of reprisals from the Ku Klux Klan and enrolled in previously all-White Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Fannie was the only African American and, frequently, the only female in her classes. She graduated from Spring Hill with honors in 1956, the first African American to do so. This was her contribution to the Civil Rights Movement.

Fannie first taught second grade at A.F. Owens School in Mobile, Alabama, but in 1963 she relocated to Cincinnati, Ohio, when her husband was given a job as the pastor of Peace Baptist Church there. In the Cincinnati public school system Fannie taught for 24 years, returning to school to complete the requirements for her Master’s degree in Guidance Education from Xavier University in 1969.

Fannie’s alma mater, Spring Hill College, established a scholarship in her name to be awarded to an individual who advances diversity on campus. On May 9, 2004, Spring Hill conferred an honorary Ph.D. in Humanities on Fannie Smith Motley in recognition of her efforts to promote diversity.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in Fairburn, Georgia, on May 18, 2016, and was interred at Vine Street Hill Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio. To read more about her, see this biography published by the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Ethel Cuff Black: Suffragist and pioneering Black teacher

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Social Studies educator Ethel Cuff Black was an active suffragist and the first African American public school teacher in Rochester, New York. Photo credit: Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Many talented educators earn notoriety for fields of endeavor outside of the classroom. One of these was Ethel Cuff Black. She became an active suffragist, and broke barriers when she became the first African American teacher in Rochester, New York.

Ethel Cuff Black was born in 1890 in Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware. Her father was a prominent banker, and her maternal grandfather was a Civil War Veteran. As a young woman, Ethel attended Industrial School for Colored Youth in Bordentown, New Jersey. She graduated with the highest grade point average in her class. In 1915, she graduated cum laude with a major in education from Howard University. While she attended Howard, she  chairwoman of the collegiate chapter of the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA).

In addition, Ethel is credited with being one of the founding members of the prestigious Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. The organization devoted themselves to social activism and community service. Ethel was elected the sorority’s first Vice President. With her sorority sisters, the future educator attended the group’s first public event, the Woman Suffrage Procession in Washington, DC, in March of 1913. Prominent suffragist Mary Church Terrell had argued vigorously on behalf of the Deltas to win them a place in the parade, where they were the only African American organization to participate.

After her college graduation, Ethel became the first African American teacher to work in schools in Rochester, New York. Later she taught social studies in public schools in Oklahoma and Missouri, and she worked at PS 108 in South Ozone Park, New York, where she taught for 27 years. She also served as a faculty member at Delaware State College in Dover before her retirement in 1957.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away on September 17, 1977, at the age of 77. To learn more about her, read the obituary published by the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Roberta Sheridan: First Black teacher in Baltimore public schools

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Many fine educators have worked tirelessly towards advancing the cause of hiring African Americans as public school teaches. One of these is Roberta Sheridan. She was the first African American to teach public school in Baltimore, Maryland.

Roberta was born in Baltimore County, Maryland. The exact date of her birth is unknown, but it is believed she was born in 1864. As a young girl, she attended the segregated schools in her home town.

When she grew up, Roberta dedicated herself to the teaching profession. As an African American teacher during the age of segregation, Roberta faced difficulties finding employment. Despite discrimination, records describe her teaching career from 1883 until her death in 1918. She was an avid supporter of the movement to garner government support of education for African American children in Baltimore. Prior to 1867 African American children were educated largely in churches, private schools, or free schools organized by the American Missionary Association and the Association for the Improvement of Colored People. When these schools were turned over to Baltimore City in the fall of 1867 students were taught exclusively by white teachers.

We know that Roberta taught in school in Baltimore County between 1882 and 1888. In 1888, she secured a position at the Waverly Colored Public School. In 1889, after a heated debate over allowing African American teachers to work in public schools in the city, she transferred to School #9, where she became a member of the first staff of teachers to work at that school.

While teaching at Waverly, Roberta met fellow teacher George W. Biddle. She left the classroom to marry him. By the time two years had elapsed, Roberta had given birth to a daughter and left her husband because of spousal abuse. After her divorce, Roberta returned to the classroom. She taught at School #108 until she passed away in 1918 following a brief illness.

To read more about Roberta Sheridan, click on this link to Archives of Maryland: Biographical Series.

Khalif and Victoria Rasshan found African American Museum of Beginnings

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After they retired, educators Khalif and Victoria Rasshan founded The African American Museum of Beginnings (TAAMB) in Pomona, California. Photo credit: TAAMB.

Retired educators often become involved in projects that improve and enrich their community. This is certainly true of Khalif and Victoria Rasshan, a married couple who are both retired teachers from the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) in Pomona, California. The pair established, curate, and run an African American museum in their home town of Pomona.

The African American Museum of Beginnings (TAAMB) is a community museum that inspires and educates all who are interested in the history, culture, and arts of Africans and African Americans. The museum offers exhibits, programs, and community engagement. The collection includes information dating back from 6,000 BC to the present. In addition, ancient artifacts and little-known African contributions are on full display. The Rasshans founded the museum in 2011 after they retired following more than three decades in the teaching profession. The couple credits Gloria Morrison and Alma Morrison Rahmaan for the inspiration for the museum. In the early 1990’s, the Morrison sisters called for relevant cultural education for their children.

Khalif was born in Los Angeles and raised in Compton, California. He graduated from Garey High School in Pomona in 1969. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the University of La Verne in La Verne, California, in 1973. He earned his Master’s degree in Education from Azusa Pacific University in Azusa in 1977. He was employed as a high school English and Social Studies teacher in the Pomona Unified School District (PUSD) from 1976 to 2010, a total of 34 years. Victoria graduated from Centennial High School in Compton, California, and, like her husband, studied at La Verne University. She is a retired elementary teacher from PUSD. In 1969, Victoria was honored as her District’s Teacher of the Year.

To learn more about the TAAMB and to visit the museum website, click on this link to www.taamb.org.