Laura Moore Westbrook facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Laura A. Moore Westbrook
Laura A. Moore Westbrook
Born	1859
Died	1894

Laura A. Moore Westbrook (1859-1894) was an important American educator, speaker, and activist. She worked hard to improve education and social justice for African Americans during her lifetime.

Early Life and Education

Laura A. Moore was born in 1859 in Tipton County, Tennessee. Her parents, Amelia and Richard Moore, were enslaved. This means Laura likely spent her first few years as an enslaved person too.

When she was young, Laura was tutored by Rachel Alexander, a smart student from Oberlin College. After five years of learning, Laura started teaching other Black girls in her community. She was only eleven years old!

In 1872, Laura enrolled at Central Tennessee College. She finished a special teaching course in 1876. Her teachers encouraged her to continue her studies, so she took more advanced classes. She graduated in 1880, being the only woman in her class. Later, in 1885, she earned a master's degree (A.M.) from the same college.

On July 4, 1880, Laura married Charles P. Westbrook. He was one of her classmates at Central Tennessee College. They had a daughter named Birdie Lee Westbrook, who was born in 1883.

A Career in Education

In December 1880, Laura and Charles Westbrook moved to Victoria, Texas. Laura became the principal of the Victoria City School. Charles became the principal of the Jones Male and Female Institute. Laura later joined her husband at the Jones Institute, where she taught for four years.

Around the mid-1880s, the couple moved to Waco, Texas. Laura taught at the W.H. Mission School. She also served as the second vice president of the Colored Teachers' Institute in McLennan County, Texas. Around 1889, she began teaching in the public schools of Waco.

During her time as a teacher, Laura Westbrook did even more to help students. She worked with a special board in Texas to help Black students get scholarships and money for college. This helped them attend Prairie View A&M University. At that time, it was called Prairie View State Normal Institute and was the first state-supported college for African Americans in the United States.

Working for Change

Besides her work in education, Laura Westbrook was also a social and religious activist. This means she worked to make society better and supported religious causes. While teaching at the W.H. Mission School, she also worked as a secretary for the W.H. Mission Society of West Texas. She held this important role until at least 1893.

Laura traveled across Texas for her mission work. She gave speeches at Methodist Episcopal churches. In 1888, she even went to a W.H. Mission meeting in Boston as a representative.

Westbrook was also a member of the Texas chapter of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). This group worked to stop people from drinking too much alcohol. In 1888, the Texas WCTU became the first branch in the South to support women's right to vote. Laura used her teaching skills in her work with the WCTU. She traveled through the South, giving speeches to support the temperance cause. People who heard her speak said her lectures were "electrifying and inspiring."

Laura A. Moore Westbrook passed away in 1894 when she was 35 years old. The reason for her death is not known.