Naomi Lewis Brooks (April 14, 1934 – May 21, 2020) was an American educator and non-profit leader, and the namesake of Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School.

Early life and education

Naomi Ethel Lewis was born on April 14, 1934, in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in Northern Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Washington, D.C., D.C. The city's population of 159,467 at the 2020 ...

, the eldest of five children of James and Eunice Lewis. As a child, her family attended Oakland Baptist Church. She attended the Seminary School for Colored Children and later rode the city bus to Lyles-Crouch Elementary School and Parker-Gray High School. In 1951, Brooks graduated second in her class from the segregated all-Black high school. While in high school, she was the starting forward on the girls' basketball team and broke the school record for the most points scored in a season and most points scored in a single game. Brooks received a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from

Virginia State College Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...

(now Virginia State University) and later earned a Master's in Elementary Education from the college.

Career

In 1955, Brooks began her teaching career at Charles Houston Elementary School. She later taught at Cora Kelly Elementary School, Lynbrook Elementary School,

Philadelphia Naval Yard The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard was the first United States Navy shipyard and was historically important for nearly two centuries. Construction of the original Philadelphia Naval Shipyard began during the American Revolution in 1776 at Front S ...

, the U.S. Army Education Center in Alaska, and

Central State University Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio, United States. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-y ...

. Brooks and her family moved frequently because of her husband's military service. Throughout her adult life, Brooks held leadership roles with the Girl Scouts,

United Way United Way is an international network of over 1,800 local nonprofit organization, nonprofit fundraising affiliates. Prior to 2015, United Way was the largest nonprofit organization in the United States by donations from the public. Individual Un ...

, and

American Red Cross The American National Red Cross is a Nonprofit organization, nonprofit Humanitarianism, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. Clara Barton founded ...

. When her husband was stationed in

Fort Hood Fort Cavazos is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. The post is currently named after Gen. Richard E. Cavazos, a native Texan and the US Army’s first Hispanic four-star general. The post is located halfway between Austi ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

, Brooks helped support and nurture over 500 military spouses in the Officers' Wives club and Non-Commissioned Officers' Wives group. When her husband,

Leo A. Brooks Sr. Leo Austin Brooks Sr. (born August 9, 1932) is a retired major general of the United States Army who later became city manager of Philadelphia. Military career Brooks was born in Alexandria, Virginia, on August 9, 1932. He graduated from Virgi ...

retired as a Major general and was hired as the Managing Director for the

City of Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Brooks was the executive director of the Coles House organization serving young women around the world.

Personal life and family

In 1955, Brooks married her college sweetheart, Leo A. Brooks. Together, they had three children, including Leo A. Brooks Jr.,

Vincent K. Brooks Vincent Keith Brooks (born 24 October 1958) is a retired United States Army General (United States), general who last commanded United States Forces Korea, United Nations Command, and ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command. He previously served as the ...

, and Marquita Brooks. She was a member of the

International Literacy Association The International Literacy Association (ILA), formerly the International Reading Association (IRA), is an international global advocacy and member professional organization that was created in 1956 to improve reading instruction, facilitate dial ...

American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...

, the Kappa Delta Phi sorority, and a lifelong member of the Alfred Street Baptist Church.

Death and legacy

Brooks died on May 21, 2020, at the age of 86 at Fort Belvoir Community Hospital.

Honors

In 2019, shortly before her death, Brooks was selected to receive the "Dean's Cross" award from the

Virginia Theological Seminary Virginia Theological Seminary (VTS), formally the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary in Virginia, is an Episcopal Church (United States), Episcopal seminary in Alexandria, Virginia. It is the largest and second-oldest such accredited se ...

, a recognition of "outstanding leaders who embody their baptismal vows to strive for justice and peace among all people." Naomi L. Brooks Elementary School in

Alexandria City Public Schools Alexandria City Public Schools (ACPS) is a school division which is funded by the government of Alexandria, Virginia, United States. Administration The current superintendent, appointed by the school board, is Dr. Melanie Kay-Wyatt, who beg ...

is named after Brooks. The school was formerly named "Matthew Maury Elementary School" but was renamed in 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Naomi 1934 births 2020 deaths African-American activists People from Alexandria, Virginia 20th-century American women educators Virginia State University alumni Activists for African-American civil rights American civil rights activists