Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Distinguished educator and legislator Joe Ellis Brown of South Carolina

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Joe Ellis Brown

Distinguished educator and legislator Joe Ellis Brown of South Carolina.

Many terrific teachers also make excellent lawmakers. This is true of Joe Ellis Brown, an educator from South Carolina who also served in the House of Representatives for his home state.

Joe was born on May 24, 1933, in Anderson County, South Carolina. After his high school graduation, young Joe enrolled at Allen University, a private university located in Columbia, South Carolina. He was the first member of his family to go to college. Joe earned his Bachelor’s degree from Allen in 1956, and then he earned his Master’s degree at South Carolina State University in 1961.

Joe inaugurated his career as a teacher at Atlas Road Elementary School in Columbia, South Carolina. Within his first year of teaching, the talented educator was promoted to principal. In 1957, Joe was named the principal of Hopkins High School in Richland County School District in Hopkins, South Carolina. Later, he accepted a position as the principal of Hopkins Junior High School. He held this job until his retirement in 1985. In all, his service as a professional educator spanned nearly 30 years.

After he retired from teaching, Joe decided to pursue a career in public service. In 1986, he was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives on the Democratic ticket. He represented District 73. While a member of the House, Joe was recognized as a stalwart supporter of public education, and he also worked toward reducing the cost of health care. In addition, he served as the Chairman of the Medical, Military, Public and Municipal Affairs Committee. He also served as the Chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus. His career as a legislator continued until 2006, a total of 20 years.

After leaving the House, Joe continued his practice of working for others by returning to his alma mater, Allen University, where he completed full-time volunteer work with alumni affairs, undergraduate affairs, the Student Mentoring Program, and the Legislators’ Archive Project.

Throughout his lifetime, Joe earned many accolades. He garnered the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity’s Charles W. Green Award of Merit; the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity’s Citizen of the Year Award; the Distinguished Alumni Citation of the Year Award from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Higher Education; and an Honorary Doctorate of Arts and Humanities from Allen University. In addition, he was a life member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Arrow’s Bridge Club for Professional Men, and the Eau Claire Rotary Club, as well as many other civic and community organizations.

This amazing educator and politician passed away from natural causes at the age of 84 on January 7, 2018.

Teacher Prudence Crandall: The Chalkboard Hero who taught African American students

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Prudence Crandall

Teacher Prudence Crandall: The Chalkboard Hero who taught African American students.

There are many examples of heroic teachers who have dedicated their considerable energy to improving the American social fabric. One such teacher is Prudence Crandall, a 19th-century educator who fought her entire Connecticut community for the right to enroll African American students in her school.

In 1831 well-known and highly-respected schoolteacher Prudence Crandall opened a boarding school for young ladies in Canterbury, Connecticut. By the end of the first year, she had earned the praise of parents, community members, and students throughout New England.

The accolades for Prudence suddenly ended, though, the day an African American student named Sarah Harris asked to be admitted to Prudence’s school. Sarah said she wanted to learn how to be a teacher so she could open her own school for black students. Prudence knew admitting an African American student would generate some resistance from her neighbors, but after some soul-searching she decided her conscience would not allow her to refuse the request.

Prudence had severely under-estimated the resistance she would face from her community. Figuring the complaint was that she was operating an integrated school, the teacher closed her academy for white girls and re-opened as an academy for “misses of color.” That just made the situation worse, causing objections that rippled all the way up to the US Supreme Court and resulting in Prudence’s brief incarceration in the local jail.

Read the gripping account of this valiant teacher in the book, The Forbidden Schoolhouse: The True and Dramatic Story of Prudence Crandall and Her Students by Suzanne Jurmain, available on amazon. I have also included a chapter about this heroic teacher in my second book, Chalkboard Heroes.

Martha Forrester: Classroom teacher and early Civil Rights activist

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Martha ForresterTeachers very often devote considerable talent and energy towards advancing social causes. One teacher in American history who did this is Martha Forrester, a classroom teacher and early Civil Rights activist.

The Civil War was in full swing in 1863 when Martha Forrester was born in Richmond, Virginia. When she grew up, she worked for several years as a public school teacher in Richmond.

Martha married Robert Forrester as a young woman, and after her husband passed away, she moved to Farmville, Virginia, to live with her daughter. There Martha was one of five founding members of retired educators who established the Council of Colored Women in 1920. She served as the president of that organization for over 30 years, endeavoring to better educational opportunities for African American students in Prince Edward County. “She felt the need that she wanted to improve the lives, you know, of African American children here in the form of education,” commented Beatrice White, a descendant of Martha Forrester. Martha was able to accomplish many improvements for the students she cared so much about, including  extending the school year and increasing access to higher-level classes. The Council also conducted tutoring, offered counseling, and organized blood mobiles to serve their community.

The former classroom teacher was also instrumental in founding the county’s first high school for African American students. Under her leadership, the Council raised $300,000 to buy a building and establish Robert Russa Moton High School, named in honor of a local educator. When the doors of the school opened in 1939, 450 students showed up for classes, although the facility was built for only 150. The school has since been turned into a museum.

This amazing chalkboard champion passed away in 1951. Her Farmville home was designated a historic site by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in March, 2017. Read more about Martha Forrester in this article published by the Farmville Herald.

Martha Forrester

Classroom teacher and Civil Rights activist Martha Forrester was instrumental in founding Virginia’s Robert Russa Moton High School for African American students.

William Horace Ash: Teacher and Virginia state lawmaker

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William Horace Ash

William Horace Ash, teacher and lawmaker, pictured here in the top row, second from the right.

Often individuals who are capable classroom teachers make effective legislators as well. One example of this is William Horace Ash, an African American teacher from Virginia who also served in his home state’s House of Delegates.

William Horace Ash was born on May 15, 1859, in Loudoun County, Virginia. As a young man, he attended Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute, where he completed the requirements for his degree in 1882. For many years William worked in Nottoway County as a teacher at Ingleside Seminary at Burkeville, a school for African American girls sponsored by the Presbyterian church. In addition to his classroom duties, William became one of the founding members of the Teachers Reading Circle, a statewide organization that provided professional support and networking for African American educators.

While still a teacher, William became interested in politics. He studied law, and, in 1884, he was chosen to be the delegate from Nottoway County to the Virginia State Republican Party Convention. In 1887, he was elected to the Virginia House of Delegates, where he served during the 1887-1888 session. There he served as a member of the standing Committees on Propositions and Grievances and on Printing, but he was also deeply concerned with legislation that affected education. After his term expired, William returned to teaching when he accepted a position as a teacher of agriculture at Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute.

On May 29, 1889, William married fellow teacher Sallie B. Miller from Nottoway. The union produced  no children. By the beginning of 1904, William and his wife attempted to establish a school for African American boys modeled after Ingleside Seminary. Unfortunately, the venture fell through, and in September 1904, William accepted a position at Swift Memorial Institute in Rodgersville, Hawkins County, Tennessee. There he taught nine courses, including Latin and beekeeping.

In 1908, this amazing chalkboard champion developed kidney failure, and after an illness of six days, he passed away on February 14, 1908. For his work in the Virginia General Assembly during the Reconstruction Era, William was one of several African Americans recognized by the Martin Luther King Commission. To read more about William Horace Ash, see his entry in the Dictionary of Virginia Biography.

State Senator Joyce Elliott of Arkansas: High School teacher and champion of education

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Joyce Elliott

State Senator Joyce Elliott of Arkansas: High School teacher and champion of education

Many talented classroom teachers are also excellent politicians. One educator who exemplifies this is Joyce Ann Elliott, a high school teacher who has also served in both the House of Representatives and the State Senate for her home state of Arkansas.

Joyce Elliott was born in Willisville, Arkansas, on March 20, 1951. After her high school graduation, Joyce earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Speech at Southern Arkansas University (1973). She earned her Master’s degree in English from Ouachita Baptist University (1981).

For more than 30 years, Joyce taught Advanced Placement and College Preparatory courses to high school juniors and seniors in Arkansas, Florida,
Minnesota, and Texas. Then she joined the College Board to focus on expanding access to Advanced Placement courses for under-represented groups of students.

From 2000 to 2006, Joyce served in the Arkansas House of Representatives. As a State Representative, she served on several committees, including those for Education and the Committee for Aging, Youth, and Families. In 2009, Joyce was elected to the Arkansas State Senate. Her responsibilities in the State Senate included her service as the Vice Chairperson of the Education Committee, the Chairperson of the Subcommittee on Educational Institutions, and a member of the Committee on Girls State. In addition, she played an integral role in funding and implementing a Pre-Kindergarten education program known as Arkansas Better Chance for School Success. As a former member of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Commission on Writing in America’s Schools and Colleges, Joyce also served on the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, the College Board of Trustees, and the National Commission on the High School Senior Year.

For her outstanding work, Joyce has earned many awards. Her honors include being named one of the Ten Best Legislators of the 2003 General Assembly by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette (2003); the Working Families Hero Award, the Arkansas Spirit Award, and the Arkansas Heroes Award for Peace and Justice by the Omni Center for Peace and Justice and Ecology (2005). She has also garnered the Humanitarian Award by the National Conference for Community and Justice (2006); the Legislative Friend of Children Award by Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families (2006); and the Pillar Award for Education by the Arkansas Chapter of 100 Black Men (2007).

To read more about this chalkboard champion, see her State Senate biography at Joyce Elliott. You can also view the YouTube video below where Senator Elliott shares her views about leadership.