Ms. Lois Abbott’s Kindergarten Class, 1955.

Ms. Lois Abbott’s Kindergarten Class, 1955.

Washington School, Topeka, Kansas Established for African American students in 1904, Washington school supported the largest student body among the city’s four African American schools in 1954 and continued to do so for the remainder of the decade. However, Washington was located less than ten blocks away from Parkdale, a pre-1954 school for whites. Washington School closed in 1962. Parkdale School closed in 1978.

Joe Douglas Collection

RH PH 90.42