Julia Evangeline Brooks (June, 1882 – November 24, 1948) was an incorporator of

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is an List of African American fraternities, historically African-American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The sorority was founded in 1908 at Howard University in Washington, D.C.. Alpha Kappa Alpha ...

, the first sorority founded by African-American women. Having earned a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

degree at Howard University and

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

at Columbia University, Brooks was a devoted educator for the rest of her life. She worked most of her working life at Dunbar High School in Washington, DC. She was an assistant principal there for 26 years, and also served as Dean of Girls.

Early life

Brooks was one of ten children born to Walter Henderson Brooks and Eva (Holmes) Brooks in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

. Her father, a slave as a child, grabbed the chance for education, earning B.A. and theology degrees from Lincoln University in

Oxford, Pennsylvania Oxford is a borough in Chester County, Pennsylvania, United States. Oxford is the closest town to Lincoln University. The population was 5,733 at the 2020 census. History The borough was once called Oxford Crossing and Oxford Village during t ...

in 1873. He became the pastor of Nineteenth Street Baptist Church in Washington, DC. During her youth, Brooks attended public schools in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

Brooks was enrolled at Sumner Magruder Elementary School and

M Street High School M Street High School, also known as Dunbar High School, is a historic former school building located in the Northwest Quadrant of Washington, D.C. It has been listed on the District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites since 1978 and it was li ...

(also known as Dunbar High School). After graduating high school, Brooks enrolled in Miner Normal School, a training school for

teachers A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. w ...

. She taught primary school for a few years, then Brooks went on to

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

for more education.

College life and incorporation of Alpha Kappa Alpha

Brooks was one of several members who were early supporters of the idea of incorporating Alpha Kappa Alpha to provide for its future expansion. As a result, Brooks,

Nellie Quander Nellie May Quander (February 11, 1880 - September 24, 1961) was an incorporator and the first international president of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. As president for several years, she helped expand the sorority and further its support of African ...

, Norma Boyd,

Nellie Pratt Russell Nellie Pratt Russell (May 4, 1890 - December 13, 1979) was an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, the first sorority founded by African-American college women. Earning undergraduate and graduate degrees at Howard University and Columbia ...

, Minnie B. Smith and

Ethel Jones Mowbray Ethel Jones Mowbray (died November 25, 1948) was one of the twenty founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the first sorority founded by African-American women. Her legacy was an organization that has helped African-American women succeed in college, prep ...

incorporated Alpha Kappa Alpha on January 29, 1913. Brooks and the other incorporators, were listed by name in Article Four of the sorority's Certificate of Incorporation. After incorporation, Brooks served as treasurer of the directorate until 1923.

Career and later life

After graduation from Howard University with a B.A. degree in 1916, Brooks was qualified to teach at the high school level. She taught

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

for six years at Washington D.C.'s Dunbar High School. Brooks went on to graduate study during summers at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

in New York City and received her

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1928. Brooks devoted her life to education. Beginning in 1922, Brooks was promoted to assistant principal at Dunbar High School. Brooks served in this position for 26 years, through the rest of her life. She was also appointed Dean of Girls. Brooks directly assisted six nieces and nephews with obtaining a college education by support, taking them to special events, tutoring when necessary, and contributing financially. She was a charter member of Xi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in

, established in 1923. Brooks wrote an early history of the sorority, which she gave at the 1923 Boulé in

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the List of United States ...

. At Founders' Day at Xi Omega on January 30, 1924, the history was presented as a lecture. Brooks died on November 24, 1948.

References

External links

Julia Evangeline Brooks Biography at Virginia Commonwealth University
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Julia Evangeline 1882 births 1948 deaths Academics from New Orleans Alpha Kappa Alpha founders African-American women academics American women academics 20th-century American educators Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni 20th-century American women educators 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics 20th-century African-American educators