She Paved The Way For Black Schools In California

School room
Leslie Taylor-Grover
October 1, 2020

Elizabeth Thorn Scott Flood was a fighter. She and her husband had moved West to blaze their own trail in the world, but he had died suddenly! 

Still, she was determined to provide a good life for her children. So what did she do first?

Her children needed education! She knew its value, since education had been the main reason she and her husband had been able to make their way in 1800s California.

Now that they were successful settlers, shouldn’t her children have it easier than they had?

No! The local school refused to enroll her children because they were Black. California public schools were for whites only! What could Flood do? She had to take matters into her own hands.

So she opened a private school for Black children right in her house, and taught them herself! The local school district realized her power and genius, and offered to partner with her to start opening more schools as well.

Though she died before seeing her work realized, her refusal to allow racism to keep our people uneducated opened educational opportunities for Black students across the state.

She fought hard, and we must do the same – because now, more than ever, our children need a quality education.

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