Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives

Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives This historic site was one of the first public schools in the nation for African American children a
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We're Back!As part of the District’s celebration of the Month of the Young Child, the Office of the State Superintendent...
04/26/2023

We're Back!

As part of the District’s celebration of the Month of the Young Child, the Office of the State Superintendent is excited to host Read Across DC on Wednesday, April 26, 2023.

Here at Sumner, we thought what a great theme to share more Bill Webb phots form DC Public School Events!

We will continue to share more photos throughout the year, as we uncover more images from this breathtaking collection.

Come on out to Eastern HS on March 31st for this monumental event. We are proud to have provided support through our his...
03/16/2023

Come on out to Eastern HS on March 31st for this monumental event. We are proud to have provided support through our historic collection .

Reposted from The Story of Our Schools "We're excited to announce our 100 Years of Eastern High School exhibit reveal event coming up on March 31! Join us for a performance by the Eastern Marching Band and Lady Gems as we celebrate Eastern’s rich history over the past 100 years."
Admission is FREE! bit.ly/3ZE22si

We're excited to announce our 100 Years of Eastern High School exhibit reveal event coming up on March 31! Join us for a performance by the Eastern Marching Band and Lady Gems as we celebrate Eastern’s rich history over the past 100 years. Admission is FREE! bit.ly/3ZE22si

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.Please comment if you see yourself or someone you...
02/18/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.
Please comment if you see yourself or someone you know photos! Your memories illuminate the Proud History of Public Schools in Washington, DC.

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.Please comment if you see yourself or someone you...
02/14/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.
Please comment if you see yourself or someone you know photos! Your memories illuminate the Proud History of Public Schools in Washington, DC.

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.Please comment if you see yourself or someone you...
02/13/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.
Please comment if you see yourself or someone you know photos! Your memories illuminate the Proud History of Public Schools in Washington, DC.

Photos from Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives's post
02/10/2023

Photos from Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives's post

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.Please comment if you see yourself or someone you...
02/09/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.
Please comment if you see yourself or someone you know in posted photos! Your memories illuminate the Proud History of Public Schools in Washington, DC.



Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.Please comment if you see yourself or someone you...
02/08/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.
Please comment if you see yourself or someone you know in posted photos! Your memories illuminate the Proud History of Public Schools in Washington, DC.



Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.Throughout this year, we will share the images as...
02/06/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Bill Webb Collection.
Throughout this year, we will share the images as we unveil them.
While we have the images, we understand members of the community have the memories to express what was actually happening in these photos.
Please be sure to comment if you see yourself or your family/friends in any of these photos! Any shared memories are helpful to capture the most accurate depiction of the Proud History of Public Schools in Washington, DC.



Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Service Learning Project that is centered around the vast collection o...
02/03/2023

Sumner Museum is excited to share images from the Service Learning Project that is centered around the vast collection of Bill Webb's Collection. A few months ago, we announced we were awarded a grant to finally bring his images to life. Throughout this year, we will share the images as we unveil them. Be sure to comment on if you see yourself or your family/friends in any of these photos! Please read https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/261063/picture-perfect/ "Picture Perfect" by LAURA LANG, NOVEMBER 30TH, 2001 in the Washington City Paper. "...When Webb was a teenager...he noticed that many of the photographs he saw of black children and adults failed to show the details of their faces."... He studied to correct this and by the time he worked for DCPS, Webb chose to focus on students toiling away in the classrooms, or excelling in school competitions, or gracing high school stages."



01/16/2023
We are excited to share, the inaugural DC Arts Educator Showcase will be held at the Sumner Museum on January 12th. The ...
01/05/2023

We are excited to share, the inaugural DC Arts Educator Showcase will be held at the Sumner Museum on January 12th.

The Arts are Integral to DC Public Education, not only for the students, but for the Faculty and Staff as well.

This event is free and open to the entire community! So let's all come out and see what messages are conveyed through the work of DCPS Artist Educators. Please RSVP by using the QR code, or via Eventbrite here:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/more-than-essential-inaugural-arts-educators-opening-and-performances-tickets-495052223527
https://bit.ly/morethanessential

The visual arts exhibition will be on display until March 18th. Also, stay tuned for details to hear announcements and opportunities to hear from the Arts Educators themselves!

12/25/2022

From Our Family, To Yours: Happy Holidays!

American Archives Month is intended to raise public awareness about the importance of historic documents and records.Wha...
10/28/2022

American Archives Month is intended to raise public awareness about the importance of historic documents and records.

What is the purpose of the archives?
Archives.gov defines Archives as a place where people can go to gather firsthand facts, data, and evidence from letters, reports, notes, memos, photographs, and other primary sources. The National Archives is the U.S. Government's collection of documents that records important events in American history.

The Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives engages diverse audiences by facilitating meaningful discovery, bridging past and present, and fostering a sense of pride in DC Public Education. It is our immense pleasure to continue this importortant work by stewarding over the preservation of DC's Public Education History with archives dating back to 1804!

(Part of our archival collection can now be seen on Archive.org. One of our wonderful volunteers, Ray Garganus, has been tirelessly working on digitizing our extensive yearbook collection. Take a look and be sure to check back periodically as newly digitized material will be added).

https://archive.org/details/

The foundation of the Sumner Museum collection are made up of the official board of education meeting minutes and the re...
09/13/2022

The foundation of the Sumner Museum collection are made up of the official board of education meeting minutes and the records and documents held by Richard L. Hurlbut, founding Director of the Museum and Archives. Over three decades, the collection has grown tremendously, mostly from gracious donations from the public.

We are pleased to share that we recently received a donation of documents from a donor who formerly served in a research capacity with the organizations DC VOICE and Reach for College. The acquisition chronicles the donor’s work with the organizations from 2002-2004 and 2005-2009 respectfully. Acquiring these materials adds great value to our collection as it illuminates the work of local external education advocacy organizations and tracks their impact on DC Public Schools and student outcomes. We are currently working to process the collection and look forward to providing access to researchers who are studying more contemporary aspects of DC public education.

09/11/2022

On this day, we remember six members of the DCPS family we lost 21 years ago: students Asia Cottom, Bernard Brown, and Rodney Dickens, and teachers Hilda Taylor, James Debeuneure, and Sarah Clark.

They were chosen to participate in a trip to study ecology in California beside National Geographic Society researchers. On September 11, 2001, less than 35 minutes into the trip, their flight was hijacked. At 9:37 a.m., the plane crashed into the Pentagon. All passengers on board were killed, and 125 Pentagon employees lost their lives.
Asia was a new student at Backus Middle School. Her father worked at the school as a coach and a classroom aide. Teachers remembered Asia as kindhearted and eager to help her classmates.

Bernard was the type of student who kept teachers on their toes at Leckie Elementary School. Bernard’s teachers agreed that he was showing real progress, and that was one of the reasons why he was recommended to participate in the trip. He loved basketball and wanted to play professionally one day.
Rodney always made the honor roll at Ketcham Elementary School. His mother expected him to be a role model for his two younger brothers, as his two older sisters had been for him. His favorite activity was watching professional wrestling—no matter what he was doing, “…he made it home to see wrestling,” his aunt remembered.

Asia, Bernard, and Rodney were each 11 years old.
Hilda Taylor was a veteran teacher at Leckie Elementary School, teaching 6th grade. Originally from Sierra Leone, she immigrated to the United States to create a better life for her family. Ms. Taylor was a mother and a grandmother.

James Debeuneure returned to the classroom as a second career. He was a 5th grade teacher at Ketcham Elementary School. He was known for arriving early and leaving late. Mr. Debeuneure was a father of three.

Sarah Clark began teaching in DCPS in 1965 and worked as a 6th grade teacher at Backus Middle School. She was engaged to be married. Ms. Clark was a mother of two.

Asia, Bernard, Rodney, Hilda, James, and Sarah are forever in our hearts. Our deepest sympathies remain with their families.

09/09/2022

The Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) has awarded one of its 59 Inspire! Grants for Small Museums for 2022 to Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives. The Inspire! Grant is a special initiative of the Museums for America grant program, designed to reduce the application burden on small museums and help them address priorities identified in their strategic plan.

Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives, located at 1201 17th Street NW, was awarded $32,114 for the project Preserving a 40 Year Visual History of DC Public Schools: A Rehousing Project and Digitization Pilot, the Sumner Museum’s Friends organization announced today. The funding will support stabilization, description, and partial digitization of the William T. Webb Jr. Photograph Collection, one of the Museum’s first acquisitions that documents DC Public School activities from 1950-1991.

“We are thrilled to receive news of the grant award from IMLS. The funding is much needed and will allow us to make major inroads in improving public access to our incredibly rich collections,” said Kimberly Springle, the museum’s executive director. “The announcement could not have come at a better time as we kick off the Sumner School’s 150th anniversary this month.”
Pamela Gardner, president of Friends of Sumner School Museum and Archives, added: “After the long Covid shutdown, we’re eager to see the museum come back better than ever. This grant will ensure that Webb’s images are preserved and collections are accessible to current researchers and future generations.” A Collections Assessment for Preservation (CAP) conducted for the Museum in 2017 identified the Webb Collection as a starting point for approaching the Museum’s collections as a whole. In 2019 museum staff adopted a five-year strategic plan that prioritized collections care and management as one of the major strategic goals.

The 18-month grant project is divided into three phases: stabilizing the Webb Collection by completely rehousing the negatives, film, prints, and ephemera; transcribing and developing detailed descriptions and metadata; and scanning and digitizing selected portions of the collection as a pilot project. With the IMLS funding, the museum will hire collections and digitization consultants to develop a digitization plan for the museum. The consultants will also train the project team—which will include high school interns and graduate students. The results will help the museum plan for the digitization of its entire collection.
“The project will create a framework for building the museum’s digital collections database and making its collections more widely accessible,” Springle said. “We are the only public school museum and archive in the country,” she added, “and we want this project to serve as a model for collecting, preserving, and illuminating the history of an urban public school system.”
The Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives opened in 1986 in the historic Charles Sumner School, which operated between 1872 and 1972 as part of the DC Public School system. Until the District desegregated its public schools in 1954, the school served African American children only. It was named for the anti-slavery senator from Massachusetts, Charles Sumner (1811-1874).

Frederick Douglass reported on the Sumner School's 1872 dedication in his publication, The New National Era.  It seems t...
09/07/2022

Frederick Douglass reported on the Sumner School's 1872 dedication in his publication, The New National Era. It seems that he was there in-person and gave a brief account. Click 'Play' to hear a reading of the article and view the original article below.

You can also use this link to hear the reading of Mr. Douglass's article on Charles Sumner School.

https://youtu.be/MY8CiH1U0vU

On Monday, September 2, 1872 at 2:00pm in the afternoon, DC Public School and city leaders and prominent community membe...
09/02/2022

On Monday, September 2, 1872 at 2:00pm in the afternoon, DC Public School and city leaders and prominent community members and stakeholders gathered to dedicate the Charles Sumner School. Today, we are proud to celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the historic Charles Sumner School. As indicated in the 1977 DC Board of Education Resolution, the Sumner School building has served the city of Washington steadily in every conceivable educational capacity---as an elementary school, as a secondary school, as a preparatory school, as a normal school--all for the education of African American students, and as the headquarters for the Superintendent and the Trustees of the 'Colored Schools of Washington and Georgetown.' The Sumner School is one of the first and perhaps the finest structures erected following the Civil War for the education of the children of the formerly enslaved. Today, the building exists as a living artifact encompassing all of that history and more.

We are celebrating a century and a half as a site that continues to blaze a path in education equity, civil rights and historic preservation. A century after the school's founding, the building fell into serious disrepair and was slated to be demolished. As a result, a grassroots effort commenced to save the Sumner School and the successful efforts represent one of the first major strides in DC toward creating policies, guidelines, and procedure pertaining to protecting the city's historically significant properties. Subsequently, in saving the Sumner School, the slated project for the site was yet another trailblazing example. In 1986, Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives opened, housing the official Museum and Archives for the DC Public School system, still the only of its kind in the country.

One hundred and fifty years later, we operate in the spirit of Sankofa and are reflective of our history and legacy and proudly continue to blaze a path in preservation and illuminating stories that may not otherwise be told. We are excited for the future and look forward to celebrating all year. Stay connected with us regarding announcements of events and activities to celebrate our milestone anniversary.

Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives extends its sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Sam ...
07/05/2022

Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives extends its sincere condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of Sam Gilliam, who passed away on June 25, 2022, at the age of 88.

Mr. Gilliam, a world-renowned American color field painter and lyrical abstractionist artist, who started his career as a high school teacher by teaching art at DC’s own McKinley Technical High School, where he was a fine arts teacher and eventually the Chairman of the Art Department.

In the 1965 Techite, the students described the Art Sciences faculty as those who “...Wield Beauty”. They even stated that “…painting consumes the idle hours of Mr. Gilliam.” His passion for sharing his love of art with the students of DC did not end at after his time at McKinley Tech. Please enjoy this Washington Post article from our Eastern HS Collection, where he was a judge for a city-wide art contest sponsored by the Smithsonian.

Sumner Museum will forever be grateful for the talent and expertise Mr. Gilliam shared with the youth of DC and the world.

“Everyday DC,” a photography exhibition on view at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives from May 19, 2022, throug...
05/12/2022
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“Everyday DC,” a photography exhibition on view at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives from May 19, 2022, through September 2, 2022, presents a visual narrative of everyday life in Washington, D.C. through the eyes of more than 100 DC public middle school students from all four quadrants of the city. The exhibition is the culmination of a unit designed by the Pulitzer Center in collaboration with DC Public Schools (DCPS) and facilitated by over a dozen DCPS visual arts teachers. Images from nearly a dozen middle schools are represented in the exhibition.
“Everyday DC” was inspired by the Everyday Africa project, founded by Pulitzer Center grantees Peter DiCampo and Austin Merrill, to redirect focus toward a more accurate understanding of what the majority of Africans experience on a day-to-day basis: normal life. Like Everyday Africa, Everyday DC challenges students to consider how Washington D.C. is portrayed in the media, and how they can compose images that more accurately visualize their everyday experiences.
The “Everyday DC” project is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The project is also supported by the Charles Sumner School Museum Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives, which generously donated the space for the exhibition. For more information about the unit plan and exhibition, contact [email protected]
Gallery opens to the public every Monday to Friday, May 19 through September 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission.
The opening reception on Thursday, May 19, is between 4:30pm and 6:30 pm. Remarks will begin at 5:30pm, and will be followed by live music and snacks. Click here to register.
“Everyday DC,” a photography exhibition that visualizes daily life in Washington, DC through the eyes of DC middle school students, opens on May 19, 2022.

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See you there!!!RSVP via eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/ProfileNoire422Also make sure to visit to view this powerful ex...
04/20/2022

See you there!!!
RSVP via eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/ProfileNoire422

Also make sure to visit to view this powerful exhibit before it closes!

Sumner Museum has received an exciting new acquisition courtesy of Charles Sumner Scholar, Beverly Palmer.  Palmer recen...
04/08/2022

Sumner Museum has received an exciting new acquisition courtesy of Charles Sumner Scholar, Beverly Palmer. Palmer recently donated the full collection of microfilm reels containing the letters of Charles Sumner. In addition, there are about a dozen reels containing Thaddeus Stevens' Papers. This recent acquisition builds upon collection material pertaining to school namesakes and provide incredible insight into the lives of both men who were noteworthy freedom fighters. Stay connected to learn when these materials will become available to the public.

Photo credit: Sumner Museum Collection, courtesy of Crystal Hurd

This past March, In celebration of Women's History Month, Beverly Palmer enlightens us about Senator Charles Sumner's vi...
04/07/2022
ASK BEVERLY Episode 3

This past March, In celebration of Women's History Month, Beverly Palmer enlightens us about Senator Charles Sumner's viewpoints on Women's Rights and his personal relationship with Women. Tune in! Send any questions or topic suggestions to [email protected]

We are pleased to introduce the third episode of “Ask Beverly,” featuring Beverly Palmer, Professor Emeritus, Pomona College and Charles Sumner Scholar. If ...

IN-PERSON MUSEUM VISITS ARE INCREASINGMr. Paul Harvey Sullivan visited Sumner Museum earlier this month specifically to ...
04/07/2022

IN-PERSON MUSEUM VISITS ARE INCREASING

Mr. Paul Harvey Sullivan visited Sumner Museum earlier this month specifically to locate his senior year basketball team photo which he'd previously seen on display at a past Museum event. A member of Dunbar Senior High School, Class of 1957. Mr. Sullivan beamed with pride in seeing himself again on this photo and shared memories of his time as a student at Dunbar. He requested an image so that he could enlarge it. We were glad to send him a digital copy of this image and discovered there was a second pose that was sent to him as well. We are proud that the Sumner collection evokes such warm memories with members in our community and find joy in knowing that Sullivan and his family now have access to this photo for their personal collections. Mr. Sullivan is pictured on the far left wearing number 3 on his jersey.

Mr. Sullivan, thank you for visiting Sumner Museum. We look forward to hearing more stories of your time in DC Schools!

Photo 1: Mr. Paul Harvey Sullivan pictured at Sumner Museum in front of Dunbar HS display, courtesy of Crystal Hurd
Photo 2: Dunbar High School 2nd Place Citywide Basketball League photograph, 1957, photographed by Fred Harris. Courtesy of Sumner Museum Collection

IN-PERSON MUSEUM VISITS ARE INCREASINGMr. Paul Harvey Sullivan visited Sumner Museum earlier this month specifically to ...
04/05/2022

IN-PERSON MUSEUM VISITS ARE INCREASING

Mr. Paul Harvey Sullivan visited Sumner Museum earlier this month specifically to locate his senior year basketball team photo which he'd previously seen on display at a past Museum event. A member of Dunbar Senior High School, Class of 1957. Mr. Sullivan beamed with pride in seeing himself again on this photo and shared memories of his time as a student at Dunbar. He requested an image so that he could enlarge it. We were glad to send him a digital copy of this image and discovered there was a second pose that was sent to him as well. We are proud that the Sumner collection evokes such warm memories with members in our community and find joy in knowing that Sullivan and his family now have access to this photo for their personal collections. Mr. Sullivan is pictured on the far left wearing number 3 on his jersey.

Mr. Sullivan, thank you for visiting Sumner Museum. We look forward to hearing more stories of your time in DC Schools!

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“Everyday DC,” a photography exhibition on view at the Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives from May 19, 2022, through September 2, 2022, presents a visual narrative of everyday life in Washington, D.C. through the eyes of more than 100 DC public middle school students from all four quadrants of the city. The exhibition is the culmination of a unit designed by the Pulitzer Center in collaboration with DC Public Schools (DCPS) and facilitated by over a dozen DCPS visual arts teachers. Images from nearly a dozen middle schools are represented in the exhibition.
“Everyday DC” was inspired by the Everyday Africa project, founded by Pulitzer Center grantees Peter DiCampo and Austin Merrill, to redirect focus toward a more accurate understanding of what the majority of Africans experience on a day-to-day basis: normal life. Like Everyday Africa, Everyday DC challenges students to consider how Washington D.C. is portrayed in the media, and how they can compose images that more accurately visualize their everyday experiences.
The “Everyday DC” project is funded in part by the D.C. Commission on the Arts & Humanities, an agency supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. The project is also supported by the Charles Sumner School Museum Charles Sumner School Museum & Archives, which generously donated the space for the exhibition. For more information about the unit plan and exhibition, contact [email protected]
Gallery opens to the public every Monday to Friday, May 19 through September 2, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Free admission.
The opening reception on Thursday, May 19, is between 4:30pm and 6:30 pm. Remarks will begin at 5:30pm, and will be followed by live music and snacks. Click here to register.
“Everyday DC,” a photography exhibition that visualizes daily life in Washington, DC through the eyes of DC middle school students, opens on May 19, 2022.
See you there!!!
RSVP via eventbrite here: https://bit.ly/ProfileNoire422

Also make sure to visit to view this powerful exhibit before it closes!
Sumner Museum has received an exciting new acquisition courtesy of Charles Sumner Scholar, Beverly Palmer. Palmer recently donated the full collection of microfilm reels containing the letters of Charles Sumner. In addition, there are about a dozen reels containing Thaddeus Stevens' Papers. This recent acquisition builds upon collection material pertaining to school namesakes and provide incredible insight into the lives of both men who were noteworthy freedom fighters. Stay connected to learn when these materials will become available to the public.

Photo credit: Sumner Museum Collection, courtesy of Crystal Hurd
This past March, In celebration of Women's History Month, Beverly Palmer enlightens us about Senator Charles Sumner's viewpoints on Women's Rights and his personal relationship with Women. Tune in! Send any questions or topic suggestions to [email protected]
IN-PERSON MUSEUM VISITS ARE INCREASING

Mr. Paul Harvey Sullivan visited Sumner Museum earlier this month specifically to locate his senior year basketball team photo which he'd previously seen on display at a past Museum event. A member of Dunbar Senior High School, Class of 1957. Mr. Sullivan beamed with pride in seeing himself again on this photo and shared memories of his time as a student at Dunbar. He requested an image so that he could enlarge it. We were glad to send him a digital copy of this image and discovered there was a second pose that was sent to him as well. We are proud that the Sumner collection evokes such warm memories with members in our community and find joy in knowing that Sullivan and his family now have access to this photo for their personal collections. Mr. Sullivan is pictured on the far left wearing number 3 on his jersey.

Mr. Sullivan, thank you for visiting Sumner Museum. We look forward to hearing more stories of your time in DC Schools!

Photo 1: Mr. Paul Harvey Sullivan pictured at Sumner Museum in front of Dunbar HS display, courtesy of Crystal Hurd
Photo 2: Dunbar High School 2nd Place Citywide Basketball League photograph, 1957, photographed by Fred Harris. Courtesy of Sumner Museum Collection
IN-PERSON MUSEUM VISITS ARE INCREASING

Mr. Paul Harvey Sullivan visited Sumner Museum earlier this month specifically to locate his senior year basketball team photo which he'd previously seen on display at a past Museum event. A member of Dunbar Senior High School, Class of 1957. Mr. Sullivan beamed with pride in seeing himself again on this photo and shared memories of his time as a student at Dunbar. He requested an image so that he could enlarge it. We were glad to send him a digital copy of this image and discovered there was a second pose that was sent to him as well. We are proud that the Sumner collection evokes such warm memories with members in our community and find joy in knowing that Sullivan and his family now have access to this photo for their personal collections. Mr. Sullivan is pictured on the far left wearing number 3 on his jersey.

Mr. Sullivan, thank you for visiting Sumner Museum. We look forward to hearing more stories of your time in DC Schools!
PRESS PLAY: Director, Kimberly E. Springle, greets the community during last month's Director's Corner episode.

Enjoy!
A discovery uncovered by Sumner Museum's Spring 2022 Intern, Celesta Hartman, rising senior at Blufton University (Blufton, OH):

I was digging through the 1922 board minutes in the Sumner archives, looking for information regarding Sumner School for one of my semester projects when something caught my eye. “Miss Lulu Allen granted to teach library science and methods. License expired October 16th 1924.” As someone who is completely taken by library work, this brief note in the minutes intrigued me. I found that she had worked as the librarian in Miner Normal School in 1922-23. I have also found that she worked as an assistant librarian at Howard University for 11 years prior to her position at Miner. I cannot, however, find any records of her after her time at Miner. A newspaper clipping I found stated that she was born in Columbus, Ohio. This is as far as the mystery of Miss Lulu Allen has come and I look forward to continuing my search on her contribution to education and library studies.
(1) 1872 building was named to honor Senator Charles Sumner, a radical Republican Senator from Massachusetts-- as an intentional national monument to him in the Nation’s Capitol.
(2) 1877 First Class of African American Public HS graduates in the US received their diplomas in the Great Hall. Frederick Douglass was the commencement speaker. One of the graduates’ diploma is part of the Museum’s collection.
(3) Duke Ellington, a native son of DC, performed his second to last concert in the school’s Great Hall. Ellington attended public schools and attended Armstrong Technical High School. He did not matriculate to graduation, but later received an honorary diploma.
(4) The 1986 Charter Mission of Charles Sumner School Museum and Archives states the site will emphasize the evolution of Black Education in Washington, DC.
(5) Both Mary Jane Patterson and Richard Theodore Greener served as principals of the Colored Preparatory School housed in Sumner Museum. Patterson is considered the first African American woman to earn a bachelors degree in the U.S. Greener was the first African American graduate of Harvard College.
We are pleased to share that Washington DC Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. recently published “100 years of Excellence in Action: Washington DC Alumnae Chapter Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. The history gives an account of a century of excellence and service the organization has provided to the Washington, DC community. Members of the chapter conducted research in our Archives. If you look closely, you will see traces of DC Public Education. The organization has also developed a companion 10-panel popup traveling exhibit. To learn more, visit www.wdcadst.org

DC Public School Black History Makers

The DC Public School system has nurtured many students who have gone out into the world and accomplished phenomenal things. At Sumner Museum, we celebrate the accomplishments of the DC Public Education System on a daily basis. Because it is Black History Month, we want to share a few DCPS Black History Makers.
We are pleased to introduce a new segment, “Ask Beverly,” featuring Beverly Palmer, Professor Emeritus, Pomona College and Charles Sumner Scholar.

This second session -- recorded on February 10th -- explores the Senator Charles Sumner and Frederick Douglas. Black History Month is a perfect time to discuss Mr. Douglas' connection as we celebrate his birthday on February 14th every year.

If you have any questions you would like to ask our resident expert about Senator Charles Sumner, please send your questions to [email protected] .
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