Roberta Byrd Barr

Roberta Byrd Barr
Born(1919-01-04)January 4, 1919
DiedJune 23, 1993(1993-06-23) (aged 74)
Education
OccupationEducator, librarian, television presenter

Roberta Byrd Barr (January 4, 1919 – June 23, 1993) was an American civil rights activist, television personality, educator, and librarian. From the mid 1960s to the early 1970s, she hosted a weekly Seattle television show, Face to Face, which featured guest speakers discussing issues such as race, education, and welfare. In 1973 she became the first woman principal of a high school in Seattle.

Early life and education

Roberta Spencer was born in Tacoma, Washington on January 4, 1919.[1][2]

She attended Lincoln High School and Wilberforce University.[1] She also attended the New School of Social Research.[3] She later earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and elementary education as well as a master's degree in librarianship from the University of Washington.[1]

Career as educator and librarian

Barr worked as a teacher and librarian in a number of schools within Seattle.[1] During the Seattle school boycott of 1966, she headed one of the Freedom Schools that were set up in protest of the lack of progress towards desegregation.[1] That same year, she was appointed to the Washington State Board Against Discrimination.[1]

She was appointed vice principal of Franklin High School in 1968, after 150 students held a sit-in protesting the expulsion of black female students who chose to wear their hair in a natural style.[4][5] In 1973 Barr became the principal of Lincoln High School, becoming both the first woman and the first African American to be a principal in the Seattle Public Schools district.[6]

Career in acting and television

Barr's career in acting began when she starred in a Cirque Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Greg Morris.[1] She hosted a KCTS-TV show named Let's Imagine where she told stories for young children.[1]

She moderated an audience participation show called Face to Face on KING-TV from 1965-1970 and on KCTS from 1971-1972.[1] Barr interviewed people who were considered too radical for other television shows, including Cesar Chavez.[5] The show's producer, Jean Walkinshaw, described Barr as waking "up the community to all kinds of things that had been overlooked."[5]

Legacy

Seattle advocacy organization Byrd Barr Place (originally Central Area Motivation Program) was renamed in 2018 to honor Barr, who was at one time a writer for the group's monthly newsletter; the organization focuses on improving the lives of low-income people throughout Washington State.[7]

Barr's photo hangs in the Douglass-Truth Branch of the Seattle Public Library to honor her efforts to promote the development of the library's African-American Collection.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Barr, Roberta Spencer Byrd". Alpha Kappa Alpha Pioneering Members. Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ^ "Sales promotion". Indianapolis Recorder. 28 June 1947. Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. ^ Henry, Mary (22 January 2007). "Roberta Byrd Barr (1919-1993)". Black Past. Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ^ a b c Eng, Lily (25 June 1993). "Educator Roberta Byrd Barr Dies At 74 -- TV Host, Principal Had Key Community Role". Seattle Times. Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ^ "MetropoLIST 150: The 150 Most Influential People in Seattle/King County History: Nominees". Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ^ "About us". Byrd Barr Place. Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  7. ^ "What is Civic Courage?". The Seattle Public Library Foundation. Retrieved 15 December 2019. CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)

This page was last updated at 2021-04-22 04:31 UTC. Update now. View original page.

All our content comes from Wikipedia and under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.


Top

If mathematical, chemical, physical and other formulas are not displayed correctly on this page, please useFirefox or Safari