Superintendent Romules Durant arrived Monday at the Ella P. Stewart Academy for Girls to meet with students and discuss their school’s namesake, but third grader Kharis James was already ahead of the class.
Kharis had just recently learned about the Toledo civil rights leader and U.S. goodwill ambassador, who was one of the first female pharmacists in the country. And once the Toledo Public Schools superintendent was finished with his presentation, 8-year-old Kharis stood before the class and shared all she knew as part of her living book bibliography assignment.
Mr. Durant liked it so much, he had her perform it twice, both times to applause.
“I felt excited and I wanted to learn more about [Mrs. Stewart],” Kharis said about learning of Mr. Durant’s visit.
As part of Black History Month, Mr. Durant and African-American Legacy Project Director Robert Smith presented a booklet about Mrs. Stewart to Kharis and other third graders to honor her legacy and pass on the lessons of her life.
After reading the booklet, each student received a copy to keep for herself.
“These young ladies may not want to become pharmacists, but at the end of the day they can be trailblazers in their own professions and their own careers,” Mr. Durant said. “The day was about reading about her biography, having a conversation about Ella P. Stewart, but more importantly understanding that the name that exists on this school does not just substantiate her name, but the culture that exists inside of it.”
Mr. Durant emphasized that Mrs. Stewart initially wanted to become a teacher, but decided instead to pursue a pharmacy career at a time when few women were pharmacists. She went on to become the first black woman to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Pharmacy in 1916 and later operated her own drugstore in that state for two years before marrying her husband, who was also a pharmacist.
Upon moving to Toledo, the pair opened a pharmacy at City Park and Indiana avenues, which they ran for 30 years.
Following her retirement in 1945, Mrs. Stewart become president of the 50,000-member National Association of Colored Women, while also serving on committees for a host of local entities, from the YMCA and the Toledo Museum of Art to the Committee on Relations with Toledo, Spain.
Starting in 1954, she spent a year serving as a goodwill ambassador for the U.S. State Department, traveling by Jeep and train through Pakistan, India, Sri Lanka, and Indonesia discussing American democracy.
In 1961, TPS officials dedicated a school in her honor, which Mrs. Stewart regularly visited — particularly on March 6, her birthday, before her death in 1989.
Mr. Smith said the African-American Legacy Project frequently puts out similar packets and brochures about various national and local Black leaders, but added Mrs. Stewart is special in the Toledo community.
And after seeing students frequently raise their hands to engage with Mr. Durant and answer questions about Mrs. Stewart, Mr. Smith saw it as proof that initiatives such as the one Monday are important.
“There’s an impact and better retention when children see images of people more like themselves,” he said. “We want kids to know that it takes a lot of preparation and hard work to get to where they need to be, but more importantly the ability to read and comprehend.”
First Published February 27, 2023, 11:16 p.m.
