Professor Charles Lincoln Harper graduated from Morris Brown College and worked as principal of the Morris Brown College high school program before becoming the first principal of Booker T. Washington High School.

A fierce advocate for education, Professor Harper set a high educational standard for his students by hiring only well-educated teachers. According to Ms. Ann Moore, BTW Class of 1938, “Going to Washington under Harper’s leadership was like going to college. Those teachers taught us on a college level.”

“Highlights of Professor Harper’s principalship include the erection of the Booker T. Washington statue at a cost of $7,500; the expansion of the school building; the organization of educational tours for honor students; the initiation of student government; the purchasing of additional land, adjoining the campus, for athletic fields; the building of a stadium; and the organization of the Music Festival and Dramatic Association for Secondary Schools in Georgia.” (Cascade Patch).

Professor Harper’s reach extended beyond Booker T. Washington High School. As president of Georgia Teachers and Education Association, Harper lobbied for better pay for Black teachers and more state aid for Black graduate students.

At the time of his retirement in 1942, Booker T. Washington High School was not only home to 4,200 students, but also the largest Black high school in the United States.

“At his death, then Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall said:  ‘There have been others devoted to causes; however, Professor Harper stood out head and shoulders above many others because of his complete lack of fear of physical and economic repercussions.’” (Atlanta Public Schools)

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