Rebecca L. Bloodworth, Sumner High School

Rebecca L. Bloodworth, born and raised in Bethpage, Tennessee, was an influential educator who contributed to education in the Kansas City, Kansas area. Equipped with a bachelor's degree from Atlanta University and a master's degree from Columbia University, Bloodworth started her teaching career at Northeast Junior High School in Kansas City, Kansas. She would later join the staff of Sumner High School, a traditionally Black high school. Although high schools in Kansas state had been desegregated since the 1870s, due to racial hostility, segregation in high schools was re-established in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1905. Sumner, originally labeled the Manual Training High School until members of the African American community and the School Board chose a more appropriate name, provided education to Black students. In 1978, Kansas City, Kansas, desegregated their high schools once again, and Sumner High School was re-envisioned as the Sumner Academy of Arts and Science.

Rebecca L. Bloodworth, born in Bethpage, Tennessee, in 1901, served as an influential educator in Kansas City, Kansas. Although little is known of her early life, as a young adult she would pursue a bachelor's degree at Atlanta University. She continued her education, receiving a master's of English from Columbia University before beginning her career as an educator. Although Bloodworth had spent her life in the South, she would eventually move to Kansas City, Kansas, during her career.

Starting her career in Kansas City, Kansas, at Northeast Junior High School, Bloodworth would move on to Sumner High School an English teacher. Sumner High School was a traditionally African American school, originally opened in 1905 as Manual Training High School. The name of the school swiftly changed due to dissatisfaction among the Black community with the title. African American community leaders and the school board pushed for a new name, resulting in Sumner High School, in honor of the abolitionist Charles Sumner. Sumner High School was newly opened after the re-segregation of high schools in Kansas City, Kansas, in 1905. Prior to such changes, the state of Kansas had passed legislature in the 1870s that allowed racially diverse students to attend high schools in the state, without encompassing segregation in high schools. Sadly, due to racial tension and pushback by white community members, Kansas City, Kansas, re-segregated their high schools in 1905.

Thus, Sumner provided Black students with an education throughout the decades of segregated schooling within Kansas City, Kansas. Rebecca Bloodworth provided her students with a wonderful classroom experience, contributing to the success of Sumner's classes throughout her career. In 1965, her efforts were awarded through her acceptance of the Kansas State Teachers College of Emporia's, now Emporia State University, Master Teacher Award for excellence in English education. She retired shortly after, much to her students' dismay, after serving nearly four decades as an educator. The students dedicated the 1966 Sumner yearbook to Bloodworth, highlighting how the educator encouraged student's to expand their minds and contributed to the betterment of their lives. After retirement, Bloodworth returned to the South, moving to Tuskegee, Alabama, where she passed away in 1991.

Sumner closed in 1978, reopening as Sumner Academy of Arts and Science, an integrated school for academically gifted and motivated students, as per state ordered desegregation. In 2005, Sumner was named to the Register of Historic Kansas Places as well as the National Register of Historic Places. Today, Sumner continues to host academically gifted students and serves as an IB World School, providing students opportunities to expand their horizons and prepare for their futures.

1. Bonner, Wilma F., Sandra E. Freelain, Dwight D. Henderson, Johnnieque B. Love, & Eugene M. Williams. The Sumner Story: Capturing Our History, Preserving Our Legacy. Edition 1. Volume 1. Garden City, NY. Morgan James Publishing, LLC, 2010.
2. Rebecca L. Bloodworth, Kansas City Black History. Accessed August 14th, 2022. https://kcBlackhistory.org/articles/rebecca-l-bloodworth.
3. School History, Sumner Academy of Arts and Sciences. Accessed August 14th, 2022. https://sumner.kckschools.org/about/school-history.