Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Teacher Mary Elizabeth Vroman: First Black woman to join the Screen Actors’ Guild

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Mary Elizabeth Vroman: The first Black woman to be inducted into the Screen Actors’ Guild.

Many talented educators can also claim fame as accomplished authors. This is true of Mary Elizabeth Vroman, an elementary school teacher who was also the author of several books and short stories, including “See How They Run,” an award-winning short story that became the basis for a movie entitled Bright Road.

Mary was born circa 1924 in Buffalo, New York, and was raised in Antigua in the British West Indies. Like three generations of women educators in her family before her, Mary attended Alabama State Teachers College, now known as Alabama State University, in Montgomery, Alabama, where she graduated in 1949. After her graduation, Mary accepted her first teaching position at an elementary school in rural Alabama. She later taught in Chicago and New York. Her teaching career spanned twenty years.

Mary published her first short story, “See How They Run,” in the June, 1951, issue of Ladies’ Home Journal. The story, based on her experiences in the classroom, generated five hundred enthusiastic letters from readers. Like most of her works, the story depicted the challenges of poverty and disadvantage. The plot revolves around a young, idealistic teacher who encourages her students to escape their poverty through education, and compares the forty-three third graders in the story to the blind mice in the familiar children’s nursery rhyme. Mary describes the teacher’s struggle to provide academic, financial, and emotional support for her students and their families so that they can achieve success. The piece earned the coveted Christopher Award in 1952 for its humanitarian quality. It was reprinted in the July, 1952, issue of Ebony.

Next, Mary served as a technical adviser and assistant screenwriter for the 1953 film version of the story. The title of the piece was changed to Bright Road, and starred Dorothy Dandridge and Harry Belafonte. Mary’s work on the film earned her admission to the Screen Actors Guild; she was their first African American woman member.

Vroman’s “See How They Run” tells the story of a young, idealistic teacher encouraging her students to escape from their impoverished environment through education. Comparing the 43 third graders in the story to the blind mice in the familiar nursery rhyme, Vroman details the teacher’s struggle to provide academic, financial, and emotional support for them and their families so that they can achieve success was published in the Ladies’ Home Journal in June, 1951. The piece earned the 1952 Christopher Award, and it was subsequently made into a 1953 film entitled Bright Road. Her work on the film earned her admittance to the Screen Writers Guild, the first African American woman to become a member of the distinguished organization.

Mary was married to Brooklyn dentist Dr. Oliver M. Harper. Sadly, Mary Elizabeth Vroman passed away on April 29, 1967, from complications following surgery. She was only 42 years old.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see this link at the Encyclopedia of Alabama.

Nellie Ramsey Leslie: The former slave who taught emancipated citizens

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Nellie Ramsesy Leslie: The former slave who taught elementary school and music to emancipated citizens.

I love to share stories of exceptional African American educators, especially during Black History Month. One of the most interesting of these educators is Nellie Ramsey Leslie, a teacher, composer, and musician from the American South.

Nellie was born into slavery in Virginia in circa 1840. The exact date of her birth is not known. When the Civil War ended in 1865 and left her emancipated, the 25-year-old ventured north to Ohio to attend school. Once she completed her education, she relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. There she founded a musical conservatory for girls under the auspices of the Freedmen’s Bureau. In New Orleans, Nellie educated newly freed slaves and their children.

Between 1870 and 1872, Nellie decided to refine her teaching practices by completing courses at Straight University Normal School. Straight is now known as Dillard University. Once Nellie completed those courses, she accepted a teaching position in Straight. Two years later she relocated to Amite City in Tangipahoah Parish. She taught there for two years.

In 1874, Nellie married the Reverend R. A. Leslie, a Native American of the Creek tribe. The couple moved to Osyka, Mississippi. Six years later, Nellie and R. A. moved to the Indian Territory located in the state now known as Oklahoma.There the couple established schools for emancipated Creeks. The next year Nellie and R. A. founded a boarding house in Muskogee, Oklahoma. 

Following her husband’s death in 1884, Nellie traveled to the Boston Conservatory of Music where she took courses in music. Then she traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas, where she established a music school. Later, she returned to Indian Territory, where she taught in a private academy for African American girls. The veteran educator also taught at the Tallahassee Mission School for three years.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in Muskogee, Oklahoma, sometime in the 1920’s. Again, the exact date of her death in unknown. To read more about her, check out the Google book version of Notable Negro Women: Their  Triumphs and Activities by Monroe A. Majors, which you can access at this link: Notable Negro Women.

 

George W. Albright: Teacher, Mississippi State Senator, and target of the KKK

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George W. Albright: Teacher, Mississippi State Senator, and target of the Klu Klux Klan.

There are many talented African American teachers in our country’s history. One of these is George Albright, a teacher from Mississippi who also served as a state Senator. His work was so controversial that he became a target of the Ku Klux Klan.

George was born into slavery in 1846. His birthplace was near Holly Springs, Mississippi. As a young child, George was taught to read by his mother, who worked in her slave owners’ kitchen. As she worked, she listened to the white children doing their lessons, and picked up what she could to teach herself and her little son.

When the Civil War broke out, George’s father joined the Union Army. Sadly, he was killed at the Battle of Vicksburg in Mississippi. During the conflict, George joined the Union League, which worked for the Republican party. Once President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, George worked diligently to inform former slaves that they had been freed.

When the Civil War was won and George gained his freedom, he worked as a field hand. He also attended school run by Nelson Gill, who was later murdered by the Ku Klux Klan. During these years, George married a white teacher, and also became a teacher himself.

In 1873, while the Reconstruction was in full swing, George was elected to the Mississippi State Senate on the Republican ticket. He won this seat by defeating E.H. Crump, a leader of the Ku Klux Klan. George served in the Senate from 1874 until 1879.

Besides his work in the legislature, George was a prominent figure in education. He helped to bring teachers from the north to the south. He also served as trustee of the State Normal School. In addition, he helped to organize a volunteer militia. For that effort he himself became a target of the Ku Klux Klan.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to read his biography.

Retired teacher and politician Derrick Graham of Kentucky

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High school social studies teacher and politician Derrick Graham of Kentucky.

Many fine educators have also earned success in the political realm. One of these is Derrick Graham, a high school social studies teacher from Kentucky. This talented educator also serves in the Kentucky House of Representatives.

Derrick was born in Frankfort, Kentucky. He earned his Bachelor’s degree in History and Political Science in 1980. he earned his Master’s degree in Political Science from Ohio State University in 1982.

Once he earned his degrees, Derrick accepted a position as a social studies teacher at Frankfort High School. He’s now retired from the teaching profession.

Derrick inaugurated his career in politics when he was elected as a Frankfort City Commissioner. In all, he devoted nine years to the Commission, and even served a stint as the mayor pro tem. In 2003, Derrick was elected to the Kentucky House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. he represents District 57. As a State Representative, Derrick has worked tireless to advance educational causes. He has served on the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, the Post-Secondary Education Committee, and the Subcommittee on School Finance. “He has dedicated his life to education and has a deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities Kentucky faces academically,” House Speaker Greg Stumbo once declared.

In addition to his work in the legislature, Derrick has also served as a member of the Franklin County Council on Family Abuse, the Frankfort Salvation Army Advisory Board, the Frankfort Arts Foundation, and Big Brothers/Big Sisters.

To learn more about this Chalkboard Champion, see his legislator page at this link: Kentucky General Assembly.

Maritcha Remond Lyons: A teacher with many talents

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Educator Maritcha Remond Lyons: teacher, musician, and published author.

I always love to share stories about teachers who have accomplished heroic achievements. One such teacher is Maritcha Remond Lyons, an African American woman who served the New York City public school system for forty-eight years. She was also an accomplished musician, an avid writer, and a published author.

Maritcha was born on May 23, 1848, in New York City, the third of five children born to parents Albro and Mary (Marshall) Lyons. She was raised in New York’s free black community, where her father operated a boarding house and outfitting store for black sailors on the docks of New York’s Lower East Side. Her parents emphasized the importance of making the best of oneself, and they also modeled the significance of helping others.

A sickly child, Maritcha was nevertheless dedicated to gaining an education. Maritcha once said she harbored a “love of study for study’s sake.” She was enrolled in Colored School Number 3 in Manhattan, which was governed by Charles Reason, a former teacher at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia.

Maritcha’s parents were abolitionists, and were both active in the Underground Railroad. Obviously, these activities were not without dangers. The family home came under attack several times during the New York City Draft Riots of July, 1863, when Maritcha was just a teenager. The family escaped to safety in Salem, Massachusetts, but after the danger passed, her parents insisted on sending their children to lie in Providence, Rhode Island. In Providence, Maritcha was refused enrollment in the local high school because she was African American. Because there was no school for black students, her parents sued the state of Rhode Island and won their case, helping to end segregation in that state. When she graduated, Maritcha was the first black student to graduate from Providence High School.

After her high school graduation, Maritcha returned to New York, where she enrolled in Brooklyn Institute to study music and languages, When she graduated in 1869, she accepted a teaching position at one of Brooklyn’s first schools for African American students, Colored School Number 1.

Maritcha’s worked first as an elementary school teacher, then as an assistant principal, and finally as a principal. During her nearly fifty-year career, she co-founded the White Rose Mission in Manhattan’s San Juan Hill District, which provided resources to migrants from the South and immigrants from the West Indies.

This remarkable chalkboard hero passed away at the age of eighty on January 28, 1929. To read more about this Chalkboard Champion, click on this link to BlackPast.