Douglass Historical Marker Dedication - El Paso, Texas

Douglass Historical Marker Dedication - El Paso, Texas

Photo: McCall Neighborhood Center Manager Barbara Byrd and Doris Gary. This building is the original Douglass Grammar and High School, which severed El Paso's African-American community from 1891 to 1920. It was named in honor of America's most famous abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. El Paso established a segregated public school system in the 1880's and located its educational building for African-American students in the heart of the Black Community. Douglass opened as a grammar school in 1891. By 1896 the curriculum has expanded to include high school classes as well as foreign languages and music, African-Americans found employment in the railroad, smelting, retail and service industries. As Black families prospered, they moved into middle and upper middle class homes in the Five Points area and petitioned the city to provide a school closer to their new neighborhoods. In 1920, a new Douglass Grammar and High School was completed on Eucalyptus Street and the original Douglass School was sold. The new Douglass School served the city's African-American community from 1920 to 1956, when desegregated its school system. Today, Douglass is an Elementary School. Prior to desegregation, the teachers and students at Douglass faced many hardships, including lower salaries and inferior school equipment and supplies. Despite the discrimination, the principals and teachers were well educated and extraordinarily dedicated to their students. Many graduates went on to become successful surgeons, engineers, pharmacists, athletes, artists and educators. Douglass Grammar and High School is a symbol of the "Jim Crow" era of institutional discrimination, but it is also an example of the self-help philosophy that forged a unified African-American Community and provided the city's black children with lifeline to higher education. http://douglass.episd.org/news/whatsnew/douglasshistoricalmarker_dedication

Area: Central / Chamizal

Source: EPMH

Uploaded by: El Paso Museum of History

Comments

Add a comment
Thank you for your comment

Thanks to the individual who identified the women in this photo.

"March is Women's History Month. Olalee McCall principal served many students during her tenure." - Eva Ross

Report this entry

Choose the most important reason for this report

Your name

Your email address

Optional detail

Thank you for your report

More from the same community-collection

Cordova Bridge

The image shows the Cordova Bridge in 1950. It is also known as ...

Pershing Expedition, Camp Cotton, 1916

Camp Cotton, Texas, a sub-post of Fort Bliss at El Paso, was the ...

Irrigation canal, Chamizal area

One of the irrigation canals which were covered during ...

Ciudad Juarez looking towards El Paso

This photograph shows part of the Border Redevelopment Project ...

Shops at Alameda Ave

The image captures some shops at Alameda Ave; San Pedro Pharmacy ...

My Closet El Paso, Texas

The shop My Closet at Alameda Ave in El Paso Texas sells ...

Piñata Party Supplies

This store on Alameda Ave sells piñatas. The custom to have a ...

Building on Alameda Ave - El Paso, Texas

The image captures one of the houses on Alameda Ave.

Piñata, El Paso, Texas

This store on Alameda Ave sells piñatas. The custom to have a ...

Alcoholicos Anonimos

The image shows a meeting place for an Alcoholics Anonymous ...

TWR Auto Parts Store on Alameda Ave

The image shows one of the many old-time shops on Alameda Ave in ...

Piñata Party Supplies

This store on Alameda Ave sells piñatas. The custom to have a ...

Frontier Foods Meat Market

The Frontier Foods Meat Market is located at Alameda Ave.

Zumba Fitness Building

This building is located at the corner of Alameda Ave and San ...

Food City

The supermarket Food City is located at Alameda Ave.

Railroad Crossing

This is one of the railroad crossing in the Chamizal area.

Tool Room Supplies Inc.

Tool Room Supplies Inc. is one of the stores on Alameda Ave. ...

Cellini Leathers - Mural - El Paso, Texas

This mural can be seen at the street corner of Magoffin and ...

St. Francis Xavier Church

St. Francis Xavier Church. 519 SOUTH LATTA STREET, EL PASO, ...

St. Francis Xavier Church

St. Francis Xavier Church. 519 SOUTH LATTA STREET, EL PASO, ...

Cordova Bridge

Cordova Bridge

Cordova Bridge

Cordova Bridge

Bowie High School

Bowie High School on 801 S San Marcial St, El Paso.

home.search_collection