Wave Wire Services
LOS ANGELES — The woman who became the first Black teacher and first Black principal in the Los Angeles Unified School District was recognized Feb. 29 when the intersection outside her first school was named in her honor.
Bessie Bruington Burke received her teaching credential in 1911 and began teaching at Holmes Avenue Elementary School, just west of the Los Angeles-Vernon border. She was promoted to principal in 1918.
Burke became the first Black principal of a racially integrated school in the district in 1938 when she became principal of Nevin Avenue Elementary School, also just west of the Los Angeles-Vernon border, according to Councilman Curren Price, who introduced the motion designating the intersection of 52nd Street and Holmes Avenue as Bessie Burke Square.
“Though her name may not be widely recognized, Bessie will forever stand as a champion of civil rights,” Price said a ceremony at which he was joined in speaking by LAUSD Board of Education President Jackie Goldberg.
“In a time of segregation and inequality, her mere presence in the classroom was a revolutionary act, a testament to the power of using education as a tool for social change. It was truly fitting to honor this real-life ‘shero’ as we conclude Black History Month, surrounded by wide-eyed children poised to lead, overcome, and conquer the world,” Price added.
Born on March 19, 1891, Burke was raised in what is today the North Hollywood area, where she attended Berendo Elementary School and Polytechnic High School. She attended Los Angeles State Normal School, which later became UCLA.
Burke also was active in serving with the YWCA, NAACP and Native California Club, working to advance the rights and representation of people of color and women, Price said.
Burke retired from the LAUSD in 1955 and died in 1968.
