Brooklyn Colored School
| Brooklyn Colored School | |
|---|---|
 Mary Jane Sanderson-Grases with her students, c. 1870 | |
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 37°47′25.5″N 122°15′9″W / 37.790417°N 122.25250°W |
| Information | |
| Other name | Brooklyn School |
| Established | 1867 |
| Closed | 1872 |
Brooklyn Colored School (1867–1872) was an early public elementary school for African American students founded in 1867 in Brooklyn, California (now Oakland, California).[1][2]
History
At the 1865 State Convention of the Colored Citizens of the State of California, there was a focus on changing laws related to educating African American students; and repeal a 1852 law that prevented African Americans children from attending public schools.[3] It was decided that a separate Black school would be established if ten or more Black students lived in a surrounding neighborhood.[3]
The Brooklyn Colored School was founded and led by teacher Mary J. Sanderson (later Mary J. Sanderson–Grases) from Sacramento, the daughter of Black abolitionist Jeremiah Burke Sanderson.[2][4][5][6] Sanderson became the first Black public school teacher in Oakland.[7] It was located in the "old Manning House" at 1008 10th Avenue in Brooklyn.[1][2]
In 1872, the city of Brooklyn was annexed to the city of Oakland, and the school closed.[8] After the closure, the city of Oakland approved integrating the Oakland school system shortly thereafter, but hiring Black teachers took longer.[3]
See also
- Phoenixonian Institute (1861–mid-1870s) in San Jose, California
- Elizabeth Scott Flood
- Ward v. Flood (1874)
References
- ^ a b "The Brooklyn Colored School, (Oakland, CA) Opens". African American Registry (AAREG). Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ a b c Beasley, Delilah Leontium (1919). The Negro Trail Blazers of California. R and E Research Associates. p. 177.
- ^ a b c Frazier, Marco (September 22, 2021). "When Can I Learn? African Americans Begin School In Oakland, California". Oakland Library. Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Mary Sanderson-Grases, Educator born". African American Registry (AAREG). Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ "Obituary for Mary J. Sanderson-Grases (Aged 81)". The San Francisco Examiner. September 20, 1933. p. 19. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Lee, Samatha H. (May 1, 1952). "Fought For Rights". Oakland Tribune. p. 79. Retrieved July 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Jeremiah Burke Sanderson". New Bedford Historical Society (NB Historical Society). Retrieved July 8, 2025.
- ^ Durham, David L. (1998). California's Geographic Names: A Gazetteer of Historic and Modern Names of the State. Clovis, California: Word Dancer Press. p. 674. ISBN 1-884995-14-4.