Research Guides: African American Education: History & Historiography: Arthur Harold Parker High School

Arthur Harold Parker High School - Historical documents

Tribute to AH Parker High School, Feb 26, 1988

A tribute to A.H. Parker High School. (1998, February 26). Birmingham World, p. 17-28. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections. https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll2/id/1511/rec/66

Letter from Juliet R. Bradford to W. E. B. Du Bois, March 13, 1925

Bradford, J. R. (1925, March 13) [Letter from Juliet R. Bradford to WEB. Du Bois]. W. E. B. Du Bois Papers (MS 312). Robert S. Cox Special Collections and University Archives Research Center, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries. http://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/mums312-b027-i467 

School Life, 1931

Caliver, A. (1931, December). The largest Negro high school. School Life, p. 73-74. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections. https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll2/id/1417/rec/88

Where pupils study, May 28, 1933

Childers, J.S. (1933, May 28). Where pupils study books and brooms. Birmingham News Age-Herald, p. 3. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections. https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll2/id/1466/rec/77

Parker High long way from single room, May 24, 1985

Dizier, B. S. (1985, May 24). Parker High long way from single room. Birmingham News. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections. https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll2/id/1453/rec/85

Golden anniversary of Dr. Arthur Harold Parker, May 7, 1939

Golden anniversary of Dr. Arthur Harold Parker 1888-1939. (1939, May 7). Industrial High School Print Shop. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections.https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll2/id/1515/rec/83

Christian Science Monitor Oct 11, 1932

Negro High School with Booker T. Washington purpose. (1932, October 11). Christian Science Monitor. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections. https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll2/id/1487/rec/81

A dream that came true, 1932

Parker, A. H. (1932). A dream that came true: Autobiography of Arthur Harold Parker. Printing Department of Industrial High School. Retrieved from Birmingham Public Library Archives https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll8/id/1481/rec/4

The Record, special edition, 2000

United Alumni Association. (2000, May n.d. ). The Record, special edition: Parker High School, a dream that came true. Available at Birmingham (Ala.) Public Library, Digital Collections. https://cdm16044.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p4017coll8/id/6492/rec/141

Books & Chapters

“Bricks without Straw”: An Oral History of Culturally Relevant Caring in Historic A.H. Parker High School by Penny Seals
This dissertation tells the story of A.H. Parker High School with a focus on the culturally relevant caring that existed within this educational institution between 1950 and 1989.
"A Labor of Love" by Penny Seals in Black Cultural Capital
In this collection, the authors depict the role of the Black community in the development of high schools. The lack of engagement by White educators galvanized Blacks to petition boards to adhere to the law, forced school districts to hire Black teachers and provide facilities for Black children equal to those of White children.

Black Cultural Capital by Garry, V., Issac-Savage, E., Williams, S.
ISBN: 9798887303925
Publication Date: 2023
In antebellum America, Black children, even those of tax-paying Blacks in most states could not attend White public schools or in some states any schools. Nevertheless, with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, Blacks assumed they would receive all inalienable rights granted to them as American freedmen. For most, the right to a proper public education for their children was paramount. Nevertheless, White educators often neglected or poorly implemented Black schools, especially secondary schools. With their reluctance to provide schools for Blacks, African American communities organized and petitioned school districts to develop Black schools on par with those for Whites. In the book, Black Cultural Capital: Activism that Spurred African American High Schools, authors describe the role of the Black community in the development of high schools.