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Frederick Douglass Senior High School (Baltimore, Maryland)
Encyclopedia
Frederick Douglass High School known locally as Douglass is a public high school located in Baltimore, Maryland, US
. Established in 1883 as the Colored High and Training School, Douglass is the second oldest historically integrated
public high school in the United States. Prior to desegregation Douglass and Baltimore's Paul Laurence Dunbar High School
were the only two high schools in Baltimore that admitted African American students. Douglass served African American students from west Baltimore, while Dunbar served students from east Baltimore. Among Douglass' most notable alumni is Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
. A graduate of the class of 1926, in 1954 Marshall successfully challenged school segregation as a lawyer
in the case of Brown v. Board of Education
, in which the Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal
in public education
was unconstitutional because it could never truly be equal. The school remains overwhelmingly majority African American and Douglass is one of the eleven lowest performing schools in the state of Maryland
.
gave a commencement address at the school in which he said:
In 1900, the school moved from Saratoga Street near Charles Street, where it had been housed since 1889, to a building on the corner of Dolphin Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
. In 1900 the Baltimore City Public School System initiated a one-year training course for African American elementary school teachers, as a result Coppin State University
, an HBCU Historically Black Colleges and Universities
was founded at Douglass High School. In 1907 Coppin appointed its own principal and formally separated from the high school. In 1938 the curriculum was lengthened to four years and the college began to grant Bachelor's of Science degrees. In 1925 the school's name was formally changed to Frederick Douglass High School. The name change was the result of the subsequent move to the school's third location a new site at Calhoun and Baker Streets. That same year the first class entered the new institution and for the first time in Baltimore, black students had a gymnasium, a library, and cafeteria. During the 40s and 50s Douglass produced dozens of notable alumni including civil rights activists Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
, Juanita Jackson Mitchell
, Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson
, jazz legends Cab Calloway
, Chick Webb
., Ethel Ennis
and opera star Veronica Tyler. Douglass is currently located on Gwynn's Fall Pkwy in the old Western High School
(the old Eastern High School
twin building) across the street from Coppin's campus.
In 2008 Frederick Douglass was the subject of an HBO documentary: "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card" directed by Oscar award winning filmmakers Alan Raymond and Susan Raymond, which was recorded in the 2004-2005 school year, highlights the past academic and financial struggles of the school under the No Child Left Behind Act
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. Established in 1883 as the Colored High and Training School, Douglass is the second oldest historically integrated
Racial integration
Racial integration, or simply integration includes desegregation . In addition to desegregation, integration includes goals such as leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws on diverse traditions, rather than merely...
public high school in the United States. Prior to desegregation Douglass and Baltimore's Paul Laurence Dunbar High School
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School (Baltimore, Maryland)
Paul Laurence Dunbar High School is a public secondary school located in Baltimore, Maryland.-History:Dunbar opened in 1918 as the Paul Laurence Dunbar Elementary School, No. 101. It was named in memory of Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African-American poet, who had died ten years earlier...
were the only two high schools in Baltimore that admitted African American students. Douglass served African American students from west Baltimore, while Dunbar served students from east Baltimore. Among Douglass' most notable alumni is Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall
Thurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
. A graduate of the class of 1926, in 1954 Marshall successfully challenged school segregation as a lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
in the case of Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
, in which the Supreme Court ruled that separate but equal
Separate but equal
Separate but equal was a legal doctrine in United States constitutional law that justified systems of segregation. Under this doctrine, services, facilities and public accommodations were allowed to be separated by race, on the condition that the quality of each group's public facilities was to...
in public education
Public education
State schools, also known in the United States and Canada as public schools,In much of the Commonwealth, including Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and the United Kingdom, the terms 'public education', 'public school' and 'independent school' are used for private schools, that is, schools...
was unconstitutional because it could never truly be equal. The school remains overwhelmingly majority African American and Douglass is one of the eleven lowest performing schools in the state of Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
.
History
Named the "Colored High and Training School," Douglass was founded in 1883 and was the only high school for African Americans in the City of Baltimore until Dunbar opened its doors in 1937. On June 22, 1894, Frederick DouglassFrederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass was an American social reformer, orator, writer and statesman. After escaping from slavery, he became a leader of the abolitionist movement, gaining note for his dazzling oratory and incisive antislavery writing...
gave a commencement address at the school in which he said:
"The colored people of this country have, I think, made a great mistake, of late, in saying so much of race and color as a basis of their claims to justice, and as the chief motive of their efforts and action. I have always attached more importance to manhood than to mere identity with any variety of the human family..." "We should never forget that the ablest and most eloquent voices ever raised in behalf of the black man’s cause were the voices of white men. Not for race, not for color, but for men and for manhood they labored, fought, and died. Away, then, with the nonsense that a man must be black to be true to the rights of black men."
In 1900, the school moved from Saratoga Street near Charles Street, where it had been housed since 1889, to a building on the corner of Dolphin Street and Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue
Pennsylvania Avenue is a street in Washington, D.C. that joins the White House and the United States Capitol. Called "America's Main Street", it is the location of official parades and processions, as well as protest marches...
. In 1900 the Baltimore City Public School System initiated a one-year training course for African American elementary school teachers, as a result Coppin State University
Coppin State University
Coppin State University is a historically black college located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is part of the University System of Maryland...
, an HBCU Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically Black Colleges and Universities
Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....
was founded at Douglass High School. In 1907 Coppin appointed its own principal and formally separated from the high school. In 1938 the curriculum was lengthened to four years and the college began to grant Bachelor's of Science degrees. In 1925 the school's name was formally changed to Frederick Douglass High School. The name change was the result of the subsequent move to the school's third location a new site at Calhoun and Baker Streets. That same year the first class entered the new institution and for the first time in Baltimore, black students had a gymnasium, a library, and cafeteria. During the 40s and 50s Douglass produced dozens of notable alumni including civil rights activists Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.
Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. was a civil rights activist and was the chief lobbyist for the NAACP for nearly 30 years. He also served as a regional director for the organization. Mitchell, nicknamed "the 101st U.S...
, Juanita Jackson Mitchell
Juanita Jackson Mitchell
Juanita Jackson Mitchell was born on January 2, 1913 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was the first African American woman to practice law in Maryland. She was married to Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. and the mother of two Maryland State Senators and the grandmother of a third.-Background:The daughter of...
, Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson
Lillie Mae Carroll Jackson
Lillie May Carroll Jackson , pioneer civil rights activist, organizer of the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP.Invariably known as "Dr...
, jazz legends Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, Chick Webb
Chick Webb
William Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.-Biography:...
., Ethel Ennis
Ethel Ennis
Ethel Llewellyn Ennis is an American jazz musician. Ethel Ennis began performing on the piano in high school, but her natural vocal abilities soon eclipsed those as a pianist...
and opera star Veronica Tyler. Douglass is currently located on Gwynn's Fall Pkwy in the old Western High School
Western High School (Baltimore, Maryland)
Western Senior High School is the oldest public all-girl high school in the United States. Part of the Baltimore City Public School System, Western was named a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 2009.- History :...
(the old Eastern High School
Eastern Technical High School
Eastern Technical High School is a 1997, 2009, and 2010 Maryland Blue Ribbon High School a 2010 National Blue Ribbon High School, and a 1999 USDE New American High School located in Essex, Baltimore County, Maryland. Along with their regular classes, students enrolled at this magnet school...
twin building) across the street from Coppin's campus.
In 2008 Frederick Douglass was the subject of an HBO documentary: "Hard Times at Douglass High: A No Child Left Behind Report Card" directed by Oscar award winning filmmakers Alan Raymond and Susan Raymond, which was recorded in the 2004-2005 school year, highlights the past academic and financial struggles of the school under the No Child Left Behind Act
No Child Left Behind Act
The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 is a United States Act of Congress concerning the education of children in public schools.NCLB was originally proposed by the administration of George W. Bush immediately after he took office...
.
Demographics
Douglass high school, as of 2007, had 1,151 students, of which 52% were female. African American students made up 99% of the total student population with 53% qualifying for free lunch. The school has 59 teachers for a 1:20 teacher per pupil ratio. The breakdown of students per grade was:- Grade 9 - 491 students
- Grade 10 - 233 students
- Grade 11 - 212 students
- Grade 12 - 215 students
Notable alumni
- Clarence W. BlountClarence W. BlountClarence W. Blount was an American politician who was the first African American to be the majority leader of the Maryland State Senate.-Background:...
, first African American Majority leaderMajority leaderIn U.S. politics, the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.In the federal Congress, the role differs slightly in the two houses. In the House of Representatives, which chooses its own presiding officer, the leader of the majority party is elected the Speaker of the...
(1983–2003), Maryland State SenateMaryland State SenateThe Maryland Senate, sometimes referred to as the Maryland State Senate, is the upper house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland... - Roger W. BrownRoger W. BrownRoger W. Brown was an American lawyer and Judge on the Circuit Court for Baltimore City and the District Court of Maryland for Baltimore City.-Background:...
, Judge, Circuit Court for Baltimore City (1987–2002) - Cab CallowayCab CallowayCabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
, jazz singerVocal jazzJazz singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice, where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics, improvised or otherwise, or through scat singing; that is, the use of nonsensical meaningless non-morphemic syllables to imitate the sound of...
, band leader - Paula CampbellPaula CampbellPaula Campbell is an American R&B singer from Baltimore, Maryland.-Biography:Paula was raised on the west side of Baltimore, and attended Frederick Douglass High School, where she took voice lessons....
, recording artist - Harry A. ColeHarry A. ColeHarry A. Cole was an American lawyer and jurist from Baltimore, Maryland. Cole was also a member of the Maryland State Senate and the first African-American ever elected to the Maryland Senate and the first African-American to serve on the Maryland Court of Appeals.-Background:Born in Washington,...
, first African-American elected to the Maryland General AssemblyMaryland General AssemblyThe Maryland General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland. It is a bicameral body. The upper chamber, the Maryland State Senate, has 47 representatives and the lower chamber, the Maryland House of Delegates, has 141 representatives... - Ethel EnnisEthel EnnisEthel Llewellyn Ennis is an American jazz musician. Ethel Ennis began performing on the piano in high school, but her natural vocal abilities soon eclipsed those as a pianist...
, jazz singerVocal jazzJazz singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice, where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics, improvised or otherwise, or through scat singing; that is, the use of nonsensical meaningless non-morphemic syllables to imitate the sound of... - Dru HillDru HillDru Hill is an American singing group, most popular during the late 1990s, whose repertoire included R&B, soul, and gospel music. Founded in Baltimore, Maryland, and active since 1992, Dru Hill recorded seven Top 40 hits, and is best known for the R&B #1 hits "In My Bed", "Never Make a Promise", ...
, R&B recording group - Lillie Mae Carroll JacksonLillie Mae Carroll JacksonLillie May Carroll Jackson , pioneer civil rights activist, organizer of the Baltimore Branch of the NAACP.Invariably known as "Dr...
, veteran civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist, founder Baltimore branch NAACP - LabtekwonLabtekwonLabtekwon is a hip hop artist from Baltimore, Maryland. His explanation of the name is an acronym for "Lifeform Advanced Beyond Terrestrial Esoterics King Warrior Of Nubia."...
, hip hopHip hopHip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
artist - Thurgood MarshallThurgood MarshallThurgood Marshall was an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court, serving from October 1967 until October 1991...
, JusticeJusticeJustice is a concept of moral rightness based on ethics, rationality, law, natural law, religion, or equity, along with the punishment of the breach of said ethics; justice is the act of being just and/or fair.-Concept of justice:...
, U.S. Supreme Court - Kweisi MfumeKweisi MfumeKweisi Mfume is the former President/CEO of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People , as well as a five-term Democratic Congressman from Maryland's 7th congressional district, serving in the 100th through 104th Congress...
, U.S. Congressman (1987–1996), former PresidentPresidentA president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
/CEO, National Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleNational Association for the Advancement of Colored PeopleThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP) - Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr.Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. was a civil rights activist and was the chief lobbyist for the NAACP for nearly 30 years. He also served as a regional director for the organization. Mitchell, nicknamed "the 101st U.S...
, civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist, namesake Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. CourthouseBaltimore City Circuit CourthousesThe Baltimore City Circuit Courthouses are located in downtown Baltimore, Maryland. Facing each other in the 100 block of North Calvert Street, the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr, Courthouse and Courthouse East house the 30 judges of the 8th judicial circuit for the state of Maryland... - Juanita Jackson MitchellJuanita Jackson MitchellJuanita Jackson Mitchell was born on January 2, 1913 in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and was the first African American woman to practice law in Maryland. She was married to Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. and the mother of two Maryland State Senators and the grandmother of a third.-Background:The daughter of...
, civil rightsCivil rightsCivil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
activist, lawyerLawyerA lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
, first African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
female to practice law in Maryland - Parren MitchellParren MitchellParren James Mitchell , a Democrat, was a U.S. Congressman who represented the 7th congressional district of Maryland from January 3, 1971 to January 3, 1987. He was the first African-American elected to Congress from Maryland....
, U.S. Congressman (1971–1987) - Margaret "Peggy" Murphy, first black woman to chair the Baltimore City DelegationBaltimore City DelegationThe Baltimore City Delegation refers to the 18 delegates who are elected from districts in Baltimore to serve in the Maryland House of Delegates in the United States. There are currently 6 legislative districts in Baltimore City with each having 3 delegates. The chairman of the delegation is...
- Pete RawlingsPete RawlingsHoward Peters "Pete" Rawlings was an American politician who was the first African American to chair the powerful Appropriations Committee in the Maryland House of Delegates...
, Appropriations chairman, Maryland House of DelegatesMaryland House of DelegatesThe Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the General Assembly, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Maryland, and is composed of 141 Delegates elected from 47 districts. The House chamber is located in the state capitol building on State Circle in Annapolis... - Bishop L. Robinson, First African AmericanAfrican AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
police commissioner of Baltimore, Maryland - Chick WebbChick WebbWilliam Henry Webb, usually known as Chick Webb was an American jazz and swing music drummer as well as a band leader.-Biography:...
, JazzJazzJazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer, band leader
External links
- Frederick Douglass High School - Maryland Report Card
- Hard Times at Douglass High - film
- Frederick Douglass High School, Baltimore City, including photo from 2003, at Maryland Historical Trust