Honoring the past, shaping the future at Booker T.
When Madisyn B. guides visitors through an art gallery created for the 50th anniversary of Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, she often hears alumni point out their old locker or talk about their time on campus.
Some share their parents — or even great-grandparents — attended the historic Dallas school.
For Madisyn, an 11th-grade visual arts student who is serving as a tour guide for the anniversary exhibit, those moments are reminders that she is part of a story generations in the making.
“It is rewarding to see,” she said. “I love that I can carry on that legacy and history.”
That history began long before Booker T. became an arts magnet. The campus opened in 1922 as Dallas’ first high school for Black students. In 1976, it became an arts magnet as part of a federal court-ordered plan to desegregate Dallas ISD schools.
As Booker T. marks 50 years as an arts magnet, today’s students understand the legacy they have inherited, and are eager to carry it forward.
Madisyn grew up hearing about Booker T. from family members who attended the school, including her brother. After attending W.E. Greiner Exploratory Arts Academy, she knew Booker T. was where she wanted to continue her education.
Blythe G., a senior music student who began playing guitar nine years ago, said Booker T. offered the opportunity to develop her talent while exploring where music can take her.
She once imagined becoming a professional guitarist. But through the school’s audio production and music business lessons, she discovered another possible path: becoming an artist and repertoire director at a record label.
“Booker T. helps you find that pocket you’re going to thrive in,” she said.
That ability to prepare students for possibilities they may not have imagined has long been part of the school’s mission, said Nedra P. James, the school’s artistic coordinator.
James first joined Booker T. in 1982, teaching playwriting, diction, theater management and musical theater. She also directed musicals and cultural programs, often remaining at the school until 11 p.m. for rehearsals. She stayed until 2011 and returned in 2023.
Today, she works alongside former students, including some who are now colleagues and supervisors.
“It’s an artistic evolution for me,” James said. “I’m honored to still be a part of it and watch children evolve and go out into the world.”
Over the decades, James watched former students become Broadway and West End performers, Grammy winners, educators, gallery owners, doctors, lawyers and even a NASA scientist. Their varied accomplishments reflect what she described as a defining principle of a Booker T. education: developing the whole person, not only the artist.
Current students feel that influence in the opportunities surrounding them each day.
For Madisyn, being immersed in art has changed the way she sees both the work and the world. Conversations with professional artists have helped her understand the years of study and practice behind what audiences see in a gallery. Those experiences have inspired her to consider becoming a gallerist, curator or museum director.
Students are also creating their own memories through traditions such as Dash Week, Booker T.’s homecoming celebration, and the all-school musical. At the same time, they remain keenly aware of the students whose work once filled the same classrooms, stages and galleries.
“When I tell someone I go to Booker T., it has such a name,” Blythe said. “I will always represent this school and what it built me toward.”
As they consider the next 50 years, both students hope Booker T. continues helping young artists find their paths and prepare for opportunities beyond its halls.
“I hope it remains a place that is a stepping stone to bigger and better things,” Blythe said. “I believe it is the best stepping stone you can take.”
James calls that connection between the school’s past, present and future “legacy in motion.” Her advice to the students who will shape its next chapter is simple: Go higher, do more and never forget those who came before them.
“I wish them galaxies,” she said. “I tell them to go further, do more, but never forget where they started. And never stop creating.”