Jimmie Tyler Brashear Elementary School

Jimmie Tyler Brashear was born July 2, 1903 in Lexington, Kentucky. The granddaughter of slaves, she was always encouraged by her family to seek an education. Her parents, a teacher and a barber, sent Brashear to live with an aunt in Madison, Wisconsin so she could attend better schools in a bigger city. She took advantage of the opportunity.

In 1924, Brashear was the only African American in her graduating class at the University of Wisconsin. In the years immediately following, she also earned two master’s degrees. In her early career, she taught at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama and then at Prairie View A&M College in Texas.

Continuing as a pioneer in education, Brashear was the first African American administrator employed by the Dallas Independent School District when she was hired in 1929. She was the only African American female Instructional Supervisor in Texas for many years. Brashear built a legacy in Dallas schools that has been followed by other great women.

By the time she retired from the DISD in 1967, the 64-year-old Brashear had served as an educator and administrator in Dallas schools for 38 years. After her retirement, she continued to teach and mentor students at Bishop College in Dallas.

Brashear was instrumental in the creation and organization of the Second Dallas Association for Childhood Education. When the first Jimmie Tyler Brashear School opened in Dallas in 1978, her friends and colleagues said, “her professional skills as a professor of education, critic, teacher and workshop director made her a highly-valued educator.”

In 1997 Brashear was paid the “highest esteem and regard” of the Texas State Senate. A resolution read on the Senate floor explained, “it is indeed fitting and appropriate that the Texas Senate join the citizens of Dallas and the Dallas Independent School District in paying tribute to Mrs. Brashear for her countless achievements and service on behalf of the schoolchildren of Texas.”

Brashear died in February of 1999 at the age of 95. Her daughter, Barbara Brashear Carter, remembers her mother as a strong woman and a dynamic leader. “Her professionalism and presence commanded the respect of everyone around her. She wanted everyone to strive for excellence in everything and she invested so much in so many lives.”