The first Chicago high school built to serve an exclusively African-American student population opened its doors in 1935, and Wanda Bridgeforth, a 93-year-old writer in my Wednesday memoir-writing class, was a freshman there that year.
Wanda swells with pride any time DuSable High School is mentioned — her Class of ‘39 was the first to complete all four years there. “I was in the birthday class,” she beams.
DuSable was built on Chicago’s South Side 15 years before the Brown v. Board of Education decision — Wanda says it was built to keep schools segregated. “We had boundaries back then,” she says. “We knew not to cross Cottage Grove, 51st Street or the train tracks.” Everyone inside those boundaries was Black, Wanda says. “That was our neighborhood, and DuSable was our neighborhood high school.”
When DuSable first opened, Wanda recalls some neighborhood parents applying for permits to get their children in nearby White high schools. “Their parents didn’t think a Black school could be any good,” she says, adding that she felt sorry for those kids. “Our classes were crowded,” she acknowledges, remembering 50 or so students squeezing into classrooms at DuSable. “But at those other schools, if you were Black and you wanted to be in a play, you had to be a maid or a butler. At DuSable, we did everything, we were in all the plays, we wrote the school newspaper, we were having such a good time at DuSable.”
Wanda was in high school between 1935 and 1939, and during those four years she walked DuSable’s hallways with some pretty impressive classmates, including:
- Nat King Cole, famous jazz vocalist and pianist
- John H. Johnson, Chairman and CEO of Johnson Publishing Company, publisher of Ebony and Jet magazines
- Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, one of the first African Americans to sign with an NBA team
- Harold Washington, first African-American mayor of Chicago
- Ella Jenkins, leading performer of children’s music
- Redd Foxx, comedian and actor
- Dinah Washington, jazz vocalist and “Queen of the Blues”
Nat Cole added King to his name later,” Wanda says with a laugh. “You know, like Old King Cole!” She knew Redd Foxx when he was Jon Sanford (yes, like Sanford and Son), and she remembers Dinah Washington as Ruth Jones — they changed their names once they became stars.
DuSable’s initial fame was in its music program, and Wanda performed in the “Hi-Jinks” student talent shows there. “We put on shows that were better than what was going on in Chicago professional theatres,” she says. “With musicians like Ruthie Jones and Nat Cole and all of those guys, we couldn’t miss!”
Wanda was quoted in an Chicago Tribune article after her work with the DuSable High School Alumni Coalition for Action finally convinced the city to designate DuSable as a landmark. “When we came along, education was a big thing. That was the goal of almost every kid, of every parent,” she told the reporter. “I know my mother and father always said to me, ‘I want you to do better than I did.'” “My mother said, ‘I don’t want you to have to do house work. I want you to have a career.’” Wanda did — as an audiometrist and bookkeeper — and she credits DuSable with helping to make that possible.
At DuSable’s 80th anniversary party earlier this month, Wanda received the Powerful Woman Award and will soon have her picture added to those of her fellow famous alumni on the school’s Wall of Fame. A poem Wanda wrote about her alma mater was included in the 80th anniversary program — I’ll leave you with her words here, along with a hearty congratulations to Wanda Johnson Bridgeforth, one very powerful woman.
Ode to DuSable
by Wanda Johnson Bridgeforth
Birthday Class 1939
Your doors were opened in One Nine Three Five
A lot of folks said you would not survive.
Because you were built in the “Hood”
Your educating would not be good.
To be sure their kids schooling was right
Parents sent them to schools that were white.
“Separate but equal” was their thought
But at DuSable we were well taught.
You produced doctors, dentists, nurses and teachers,
Lawyers, judges, artists, stenos and preachers,
Writers, composers and politicians,
Actors, dancers, singers and musicians.
Entrepreneurs and inventors carry your name
And your athletes have reached the Hall of Fame.
So we lift our voices to the sky
Singing the praises of
JEAN BAPTISTE POINTE DuSABLE HIGH.
Note: A savvy 74-yearold writer from my Wednesday memoir-writing class has started a blog called Beth’s Class where she publishes essays she and fellow writers from that class have written. Wanda’s Ode to DuSable was first published on the Beth’s Class blog, and essays by other writers from that class have been published there, too. Check it out!
Lovely to hear about Wanda. Please give her a hug from me.
Will do, Myrna –she often asks about you!
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Thanks for introducing Wanda Bridgeforth. She certainly deserves her title as Powerful Woman. Please give her my congratulations. 🙂
Oh, Sheila, I hope you get to meet her in person sometime — she truly is one-of-a-kind.
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Dear Beth, I can’t believe, with all the changes in our lives, that I might still find a way to see that Wentworth house where Wanda now lives (or once lived?). We arent driving anymore, but might still get a ride arranged to visit the house where my Mother, Grace Wentworth Ford was born in 1900, and lived as a child. Her uncle, Mayor John Wentworth, was a visionary, compassionate man, who nominated Lincoln for the Presidency before the Civil War. I need that street address from Wanda again! Looking forward, Judy Spock
From: Safe & Sound blog Reply-To: Safe & Sound blog Date: Wed, 20 May 2015 10:29:25 +0000 To: Judith Spock Subject: [New post] One powerful woman
WordPress.com bethfinke posted: “The first Chicago high school built to serve an exclusively African-American student population opened its doors in 1935, and Wanda Bridgeforth, a 93-year-old writer in my Wednesday memoir-writing class, was a freshman there that year. Wanda swells wit”
Judy,
I know this is going to happen! You’ll get a look at that house!
Wanda’s daughter, whose name is Wanda, Jr., now lives in the house that Mayor Wentworth built all those long years ago and your mother was born in.
Wanda (the one who wrote this poem about DuSable High School) says onlookers often stop and ask her daughter questions about the house. “Junior is used to the fuss!” Wanda laughs.
The house is hard to miss, she says –it’s set back and has a rod iron fence in front. In Spring and Summer people who walk by stop and admire the front garden…
Wanda the elder, the one featured in this post , is in the memoir-writing class I teach on Wednesdays, I am heading there now and will make a point to tell her you are still interested in seeing the house her daughter lives in.
Cheers!
Beth
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Absolutely wonderful post–this week I’ve shared both your work and Mike’s on Facebook! Such richness in that class you teach. Like the proverb says, each elder is a library.
Aha! That explains why our posts are geting so much extra attention this week, Lauren. Thanks for the plug!
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It was good to read about Wanda’s time at DuSable. We’ve known of her before and this was so interesting. Congratulations, Wanda!
Yeah, I guess I *do* write about Wanda a lot here –she’s easy to brag about!
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Wow, what a great post! It’s like you are teaching someone that should be more famous than you!! xoxo, Janet
Shhhh! Truth is, Wanda teaches me farrrrrrrr more than I could ever teach her.
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Love it, Beth. So beautifully written and Wanda just shines through.
Have you heard about the PBS “DuSable to Obama” documentary? It was fabulous. I’m not just saying that (yes, I am) because Orbert wrote the unbelievable soundtrack and I got to play on it– it’s really amazing. All about Chicago’s African American history.
Wow. Hadn’t heard about that documentary. I’ll try and find it, thanks for the plug. And the sweet comment, too!
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Yay Wanda! Hanni and I already knew she was a Powerful Woman!
love to Wanda…..and to you Beth!
Nancy B and Hanni
Hanni is one powerful dog — she knows a powerful woman when she sees one — I’ll send your congrats to our dear friend Wanda B.
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Wanda is a living treasure. I love being in the memoir class with her!
Me, too. We are lucky women to have that powerful one with us each and every week –she never misses!
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I enjoyed sitting in on your memoir class a few weeks back –and I felt privileged to have a chance to speak with Wanda after class.
Remarkable teacher and remarkable students!
Shucks, thanks for the compliment, Colleen. It was an honor to have you there with us in class, and we are all very lucky women to hear — and learn from — Wanda’s stories.
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I finally pulled up the blog and read the generous responses. They brought tears to me eyes and extra throbs to me heart. I still haven’t figured out how to enter comments onto blogs. So please, if you have a moment, Thank everyone for their heart warming comments and tell them “I Luv Y’all ALL Y’all”
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