Demonstration School Faculty First to Desegregate

The first department on campus to desegregate was the Demonstration School, an elementary school on campus with grades from kindergarten to fourth.  Commonly referred to as the "Dem School", it was the first laboratory school for teacher training in Mississippi (founded in 1907).  The structure that stands on 11th Street South opened in 1929 but closed in 2005.

Marjorie Carter broke the racial barrier in 1970 as the Dem School’s first black teacher.  She stayed for only one year.

Two faculty members stand out in the history of the Dem School, Gertrude Lewis and Alma Turner. 

Lewis taught at the school for 17 years from 1972 to 1989.  She earned her Master’s in education while teaching at the Dem School.

Turner taught at the Dem School from 1977 to 1995, a total of 18 years.  She was principal of the school from 1985 to 1995.


Photos of Carter and Lewis.
Mississippi University for Women Archives.

Portrait of Alma Turner.
Mississippi University for Women Archives.