Hazel Harvey Peace facts for kids
Hazel Bernice Harvey Peace (born August 4, 1907 – died June 8, 2008) was an amazing African-American teacher, activist, and helper in Fort Worth, Texas. Many places in Fort Worth are named after her, like an elementary school, a city building, and a library youth center. Hazel Harvey Peace worked hard to create chances for African Americans, young people, and women in Fort Worth, Dallas, and all over Texas, even though there were unfair rules like racial segregation that kept people apart.
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Who Was Hazel Harvey Peace?
Hazel Bernice Harvey Peace was born in Waco, Texas, on August 4, 1907. Her family moved to Fort Worth just three months later. Her father worked as a Pullman porter, which meant he helped passengers on trains. Her mother was a homemaker who also owned a children's clothing store. Hazel was an only child and was very smart from a young age. She could read by the time she was four years old!
Her Early School Days
Hazel went to James E. Guinn Elementary School and then to the Fort Worth Colored School for high school. She finished high school when she was only thirteen. She loved to read and spent a lot of time at Fort Worth's Carnegie Public Library. Because of segregation, she could borrow books but wasn't allowed to stay inside and read them.
College and Beyond
Hazel went to Howard University in Washington, D.C.. This was a historically black university, which means it was created to educate African-American students during a time when many schools were segregated. There, she joined Alpha Kappa Alpha, the very first black sorority in the United States.
After graduating in 1923, Peace returned to Fort Worth. She started teaching at her old high school, which was then called I.M. Terrell High School. She was still a teenager herself! During her summer breaks, she took classes at Columbia University in New York. She lived in Harlem during the exciting time known as the Harlem Renaissance, a period when African-American art, music, and literature thrived. She earned her master's degree from Columbia and continued taking summer courses at other universities like the University of Wisconsin and Vassar College.
Hazel Peace's Career and Impact
"Mama Hazel" at I.M. Terrell
In 1938, Hazel Harvey married Joe Peace, a contractor. She always used her full name, Hazel Harvey Peace. They didn't have children of their own, but her students called her "Mama Hazel" because she cared for them like family.
Peace worked at I.M. Terrell High School for nearly 50 years, from 1924 until it closed in 1972. The school closed because of desegregation, which meant that schools were no longer allowed to be separated by race. She started as a teacher, then became a counselor, dean of girls, and finally, vice principal. She taught many subjects, including English, drama, debate, and history.
Hazel Harvey Peace started a children's theater at I.M. Terrell, where kids from other local black elementary schools could come watch plays. She also created a debate club. Even though the segregated school didn't have as many resources, Peace worked very hard. Because of her efforts, I.M. Terrell became known for preparing students well for college. Many of Fort Worth's black middle class came from this school. Famous former students include jazz musician Ornette Coleman and Harvard professor James Cash, Jr..
Helping Colleges and the Community
After leaving I.M. Terrell, Peace worked in leadership roles at several other colleges, including Bishop College and Paul Quinn College in Dallas. She retired from education in 1981.
Even while teaching, Peace volunteered her time in the evenings at Fort Worth's John Peter Smith Hospital. She also fought for black and white teachers to be paid the same amount. After she retired, she became even more involved in helping young people, women, and people experiencing homelessness. She served on many important boards and councils, including the Fort Worth Public Library Advisory Council and the Fort Worth chapter of the NAACP, which works for civil rights.
Honors and Lasting Legacy
Hazel Harvey Peace received many awards for her dedication. She was given the Fort Worth Human Relations Commission's Humanitarian Award twice, in 1977 and 1985. In 1988, she received the United Way's Hercules Award.
In 1992, Texas Wesleyan University gave her an honorary doctorate, which is a special degree given to honor someone's achievements. The Fort Worth Public Library's youth center was also named after her. In 2001, Peace was an Olympic torchbearer before the Salt Lake City winter games. In 2007, the University of North Texas created a special teaching position in children's library services in her honor. It was the first in Texas named after an African-American woman.
Her Final Years and Impact
The Fort Worth Public Library celebrated Hazel Harvey Peace's 100th birthday in 2007. She passed away on June 8, 2008, at the age of 100. She left money from her estate to Howard University, Texas Wesleyan University, the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, and Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Elementary School.
Hazel Harvey Peace had such a big impact that her funeral was the first public funeral for a black person in Fort Worth. Tributes to her were even read in the U.S. House of Representatives.
In 2009, the City of Fort Worth named its newest city building, the Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods, after her. In 2010, the Fort Worth ISD opened the Hazel Harvey Peace Elementary School. Her legacy continues to inspire many in Fort Worth and beyond.
Images for kids
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Hazel Harvey Peace, circa 1919.
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View of the east side of the Hazel Harvey Peace Center for Neighborhoods building in Fort Worth, Texas
