Baltimore educators recognize official who started black schools - baltimoresun.com: It has taken 142 years, but Baltimore's first school district leader will finally take his place in the superintendent's suite of city school headquarters.
The Rev. John Nelson McJilton received a long-overdue recognition Friday, when city school officials paid homage to the first leader of the district, whose legacy has been ignored for more than a century after his decision to educate black children after the Civil War.
Judge Thomas F. Upson, the great-great-grandson of the Rev. John McJilton — who served two years as superintendent beginning in 1866 — presented a commemorative photograph and history lesson on his ancestor Friday, ending a months-long attempt to have his ancestor's name and reputation restored.
Donning a 'Believe in Baltimore schools' pin, Upson presented the gold-framed, restored photograph of McJilton, which Upson believes was taken when McJilton was on the verge of taking over the school district.
