Nellie Morrow Parker

Last updated April 27, 2019

Nellie K. Morrow with her husband, William L. Parker, and their child, circa 1927 Parker-Nellie 01.jpg — Nellie K. Morrow with her husband, William L. Parker, and their child, circa 1927

Nellie K. Morrow Parker (August 27, 1902 – January 25, 1998) was the first African American school teacher in Bergen County, New Jersey. Part of the Hackensack Public Schools, Nellie K. Parker Elementary School in Hackensack, New Jersey is named after her.^[1]

Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2017 Census estimate, the county's population was 948,406, an increase of 4.8% from the 2010 United States Census, which in turn represented an increase of 20,998 (2.4%) from the 884,118 counted in the 2000 Census. Located in the northeastern corner of New Jersey and its Gateway Region, Bergen County is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area and is directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, to which it is connected by the George Washington Bridge.

The Hackensack Public Schools are a comprehensive community public school district that serves students in pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade from the City of Hackensack, in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States.

Hackensack, New Jersey City in Bergen County, New Jersey, U.S.

Hackensack is a city in Bergen County in New Jersey, United States, and serves as its county seat. The area was officially named New Barbadoes Township until 1921, but it was informally known as Hackensack since at least the 18th century. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population was 43,010, reflecting an increase of 333 (+0.8%) from the 42,677 counted in the 2000 Census, which had, in turn, increased by 5,628 (+15.2%) from the 37,049 counted in the 1990 Census.

Birth

She was born as Nellie K. Morrow to Mary A. (1875-?) and John Eugene Morrow (1873-?) aka Eugene Morrow, on August 27, 1902, in Hackensack, New Jersey.^[2] John was the janitor of the Johnson Public Library at 274 Main Street in Hackensack. He was born in North Carolina. Nellie had the following siblings: Eugene Abram Morrow (1897-?); E. Frederic Morrow (1907-1994), the first African American to hold an executive position at the White House; John H. Morrow, Sr. (1910-2000), the first United States ambassador to independent Guinea; and William H. Morrow (1910-?).

North Carolina is a state in the southeastern region of the United States. It borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west, Virginia to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. North Carolina is the 28th-most extensive and the 9th-most populous of the U.S. states. The state is divided into 100 counties. The capital is Raleigh, which along with Durham and Chapel Hill is home to the largest research park in the United States. The most populous municipality is Charlotte, which is the second-largest banking center in the United States after New York City.

Everett Frederic Morrow was the first African American to hold an executive position at the White House. He served President Dwight Eisenhower as Administrative Officer for Special Projects from 1955 to 1961. His brother was Ambassador John H. Morrow.

John Howard Morrow was an American diplomat. In 1959, President Dwight Eisenhower appointed him the first Ambassador to independent Guinea. He became the first representative of the United States in the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) during the administration of President John F. Kennedy. At the time, he was one of a small number of African American high-level diplomats.

Morrow graduated from Hackensack High School and graduated from Montclair Normal School (now Montclair State University) in 1922 with a certificate in teaching.^[3]

Hackensack High School is a four-year comprehensive public high school located in Hackensack, New Jersey, United States, operating as part of the Hackensack Public Schools. Hackensack High School serves students from the Bergen County, New Jersey communities of Hackensack, South Hackensack, Maywood and Rochelle Park.

Montclair State University public university in New Jersey, United States

Montclair State University (MSU) is a public research university in Montclair, New Jersey. Montclair State University is the second largest university in New Jersey. As of October 2018, there were 21,115 total enrolled students: 16,988 undergraduate students and 4,127 graduate students. The campus covers approximately 500 acres (2.0 km²), inclusive of the New Jersey School of Conservation in Stokes State Forest. The university offers more than 300 majors, minors, and concentrations.

Teacher

She became the first African-American public school teacher in Bergen County, New Jersey in 1922 when she was hired to teach the fifth and sixth grades in the Hackensack, New Jersey public school system. Nellie remained in the Hackensack school system for 42 years. During this entire time span, she moved only once from First Street School to the Beech Street School. During her early years of teaching she and her family were subject to racism from the Ku Klux Klan and other organizations.^[4]^[5]

The Ku Klux Klan, commonly called the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist hate group. The Klan has existed in three distinct eras at different points in time during the history of the United States. Each has advocated extremist reactionary positions such as white nationalism, anti-immigration and—especially in later iterations—Nordicism and anti-Catholicism. Historically, the Klan used terrorism—both physical assault and murder—against groups or individuals whom they opposed. All three movements have called for the "purification" of American society and all are considered right-wing extremist organizations. In each era, membership was secret and estimates of the total were highly exaggerated by both friends and enemies.

Marriage

In 1928 she married William L. Parker (1900-?) of Virginia. William worked as a salesman for a life insurance company.

Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States located between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" due to its status as the first English colonial possession established in mainland North America and "Mother of Presidents" because eight U.S. presidents were born there, more than any other state. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth are shaped by the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Chesapeake Bay, which provide habitat for much of its flora and fauna. The capital of the Commonwealth is Richmond; Virginia Beach is the most populous city, and Fairfax County is the most populous political subdivision. The Commonwealth's estimated population as of 2018 is over 8.5 million.

Death

She died in 1998 in Huntington Beach, California.

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References

↑ About Us, Nellie K. Parker School. Accessed November 26, 2017. "Our School is named after Nellie K. Parker, who served the children of Hackensack, New Jersey as an elementary school teacher for more than 42 years."
↑ Burstyn, Joan N. Past and Promise; Lives of New Jersey Women, p. 373. Syracuse University Press, 1996. ISBN 9780815604181. Accessed November 25, 2017. "Nelle Katherine (Morrow) Parker was the first African-American public school teacher in Bergen County, NJ.... Parker was born August 27, 1902, in Hackensack, NJ, the second child and only daughter of John Eugene and Mary Ann (Hayes) Morrow."
↑ Nellie K. Parker, Nellie K. Parker Elementary School. Accessed November 26, 2017. "Nellie entered Montclair Normal School and received her teaching certificate in 1922 after graduating from Hackensack High School."
↑ Nellie Morrow Parker, New Jersey Women's History. Accessed November 26, 2017. "Nellie Morrow Parker (1902-1998) surmounted controversy to become the first African American public school teacher in Hackensack, Bergen County. She was hired as a young woman to teach fifth and sixth grade in the Hackensack public schools."
↑ Willcox, Isobel. "Hackensack Is Recalled As Hostile, Racist Town", The New York Times , July 15, 1973. Accessed November 25, 2017. "One of Mr. Morrow's most vivid memories of his early days in Hackensack is the controversy that erupted in 1925 when his sister, Nellie, applied for a teaching position in the local public schools. The Knights of Columbus, the Daughters of the American Revolution, white church groups and the Ku Klux Klan (which often held rallies in nearby Bergenfield) protested at meetings, in the newspapers and in flood of hate letters to the Morrow family."

World War I draft with John Eugene Morrow, b. September 19, 1873
World War I draft with Eugene Abram Morrow, b. December 4, 1897
1900 US Census
1910 US Census with "Nellie Morrow"
1920 US Census
1930 US Census with "Nellie K. Parker"