James Brainard Taylor (January 28, 1927 – April 26, 2016) was one of the first

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

principals in Los Angeles and went on to serve in the No. 2 position in the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD).

Background

James Brainard Taylor was the son of William Horace, a postman, and Louise Evangeline (Ponder) Taylor, a homemaker.

Early education and career

Taylor graduated from Manual Arts High School in Los Angeles. From there he attended UCLA, where he received his bachelor's degree in mathematics. He also earned a master's degree in education at USC. He served as a staff sergeant in the Army, where he taught math to fellow soldiers.

Educator and school administrator

His first job at the Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) was as a math teacher at John Adams Junior High (now John Adams Middle School). That was followed by a stint at

Hamilton High School Hamilton High School may refer to: United States Alabama * Hamilton High School (Alabama) in Hamilton Arizona * Hamilton High School (Chandler, Arizona) in Chandler Arkansas * Lake Hamilton High School in Pearcy California * Hamilton High Sc ...

. In 1957, Taylor moved into administration when he was hired as a vice principal at

John H. Francis Polytechnic High School John H. Francis Polytechnic High School is a secondary school located in the Sun Valley neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It serves grades 9 through 12 and is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District. Despite its n ...

in Sun Valley. When the principal retired in 1962, Taylor was promoted to fill his position. This was the first time that a Black person was in charge of a high school in LAUSD with a predominantly white student body. In 1967, he became the first principal of Alain LeRoy Locke High School in Watts. After his assignment at Locke, Taylor became a deputy superintendent at LAUSD. This was during a time of a divisiveness within the district over the issue of integration. Taylor advocated for a measured approach to integration. He favored voluntary programs such as magnet schools to achieve integration. After retiring from his post at LAUSD, he returned to Adams to teach math.

Legacy

The Ánimo James B. Taylor Charter Middle School in Watts is named after him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, James B. Los Angeles Unified School District faculty Schoolteachers from California Educators from California 1927 births 2016 deaths