George Washington Carver High School

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George Washington Carver High School in Phoenix

George Washington Carver High School or Carver High School (also known as George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center) originally operated as the Phoenix Union Colored High School. The school, which opened from 1926 until desegregation in 1954 and changed the name after George Washington Carver, an African-American scientist, not only serves as a place for academics but also as a community gathering place. Today, the museum and cultural center honors the history, art, and culture of African-American people in Phoenix, Arizona.[1] Carver High School was the state’s only high school built for black students.[2]

Background

Carver High School George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center.jpg

When it first opened in 1926, it was known as the Phoenix Union Colored High School. The school was renamed after scientist George Washington Carver in 1943. The school was built between two African-American communities south of downtown Phoenix. It was strategically placed here to serve as many African-American students as possible.[3]

The school was a point of community pride until it closed in 1954. A year earlier, a Maricopa County High Court judge ruled that segregation at Phoenix Middle School was unconstitutional. The Phoenix Union High School District turned the site into offices and storage space until a group of alumni bought it more than four decades later.[2] In 1991, The School was reopened and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

Vandalism

The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center have been vandalized. The word N is spray-painted on the front pavement and swastikas on the building columns. The incident was immediately reported to the bias crimes and graffiti crushing division of the Phoenix Police Department.[4]

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego condemned the vandalism and tweeted "The horrific display of hate at the George Washington Carver Museum is reprehensible," she said. "An attack like this has no place in our community. I continue to support the center's work in preserving and sharing the African American experience."[5]

External Link

George Washington Carver High School Official Web

References

  1. Sexton, Connie Cone. Carver museum embodies struggles, triumphs of city's Blacks. azcentral.com February 29 2008. Retrieved January 22 2021.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Goth, Brenna. Phoenix school that was segregated envisioned as 'a place you can talk the truth'. azcentral.com January 25 2017. Retrieved January 22 2021.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Rodriguez, Nadine Arroyo. Did You Know: George Washington Carver High School Has Rich History. KJZZ October 18, 2013 (Original) April 24, 2020 (Updated). Retrieved January 22 2021.
  4. Newman, Brooke. 'Not going to deter us': N-word, swastikas painted on historic Black school turned museum. azcentral.com September 21 2020. Retrieved January 22 2021.
  5. Walker, Lindsay. Phoenix African American Museum Vandalized With Swastikas, Slurs. Patch September 23, 2020. Retrieved January 22 2021.