Early African American Schools in Memphis

Memphis's African American community, with the passing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, placed a high priority on education. Four years after the first Freedmen School in the city, Clay Street School became the city's first public school for African Americans. For 75 years, Clay Street, which became Kortrecht School in 1891 and Booker T.

Washington High School in 1926, was one of only two schools in the city limits that graduated students in grade twelve. Many of the city's top scholars, educators, athletes, attorneys, musicians, and doctors were products of this school. At the same time, several grammar schools were being established to serve the growing number of children who desired and deserved a formal education. From the old Porter School to the old Greenwood School, African American children in Memphis now had a place to learn and grow. This book showcases some of these early schools, teachers, and principals whose contributions continue to influence education in the city today.