Boston Latin School has become one of the nation’s iconic institutions. Its list of early alumni appears to be taken from the record of outstanding Americans: Benjamin Franklin, Samuel Adams, Ralph Waldo Emerson, John Hancock, George Santayana and others. In the years since its founding in 1635, Latin School has developed its own character and a unique culture.
As the nation’s first public school to provide a classical education, BLS tried to admit those intellectually gifted students who were capable of handling the onerous academic workload. There was never any intention of restricting enrollment to students who adhered to any religious, philosophical or political point of view. As might be expected, bright boys from varied social backgrounds would generate considerable controversy in their discussions.
In fact, the BLS curriculum encouraged the expression of personal opinions. Everyone was required to take a course called Declamation. Students would have to stand up in class and present a prepared oral presentation. Those who were especially talented speakers would then compete in the auditorium before the whole school.
As might be expected there were not many black students in the early years of the school. The first black graduate was Parker Bailey in 1877. Only 1.62 percent of the total Boston population was black in 1880.
Adelaide Cromwell, the leading scholar on blacks’ achievements in Boston, published a pamphlet entitled “Developing a Black Meritocracy: A History of Black Graduates of the Boston Latin School.” In her book published in 1985, she identified 381 black BLS graduates but was unable to obtain additional data on 133 of them.
The names of outstanding alumni are inscribed on the upper or lower frieze of the BLS auditorium. Wade McCree, who became the U.S. Solicitor General and the first black judge in the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals; and Clifton Wharton who became the first black president of a major state college (Michigan State) and the first black CEO of a Fortune 300 company (TIAA-CREF), are both so honored.
While some black BLS alumni from the 1940s and 1950s were able to find careers that were appropriate to their level of education, many others were not. Some well-respected scholars in those days asserted that those of African descent were inferior. With those opinions prevalent, black students had much more antagonism to confront. Nonetheless, a camaraderie prevails among alumni of decades ago. They are like comrades-in-arms who survived six very challenging years together.
Upon graduation, alumni of that era felt a strong loyalty to the institution and they contributed their funds to finance two important programs for students: Every Saturday there is the Success School to provide tutors; and every August there is the Exam School to prep elementary school students who want to take the entrance exam. Both programs are free to students.
There is a tradition at Latin School of the students often being a bit cantankerous and full of themselves. This outspoken assertiveness has helped past generations to succeed in a very competitive professional world. A better approach than petty complaints by black students is for them to organize a massive test preparation campaign. Asians did that for exam schools in New York. Although only 14 percent of New York City’s population is Asian, they now occupy 59 percent of the seats in the city’s eight exam schools.
The Latin School culture is 380 years old. It tolerates outspoken people even if they are wrong. That attitude will not likely change very soon.
Melvin B. Miller
BLS ‘52
