(WSYR-TV) — Students and teachers across CNY have returned to school. In honor of that, we are looking back at Marjorie Dey Carter, the very first African American teacher hired by the Syracuse City School District in 1950.

Bob Searing, the curator of history for the Onondaga Historical Association, joined the show Wednesday to discuss the history.

Marjorie was:

  • Graduated from SUNY Cortland where she was the only African American student on campus until her senior year
  • First African American teacher in the Syracuse City School District
  • First Black woman to be elected President of the Syracuse Teachers Association
  • Honored with the “Pioneer Award” by the Black Leadership Congress in Syracuse in 1973
  • Awarded the Mary Ficchi Lifetime Achievement Award from the Parents for Public Schools in 2012

You can learn more of Central New York’s history by visiting the OHA Museum and gift gallery at 321 Montgomery Street in downtown Syracuse. You can also visit them online at CNYHistory.org.