Marjorie Carter

Marjorie Carter was born on August 9, 1926, in Syracuse, New York and grew up on the East Side Several generations of her family have also lived and continue to reside in Syracuse.

A trailblazer for students and educators across Central New York, Ms. Carter attended Madison Walnut Elementary. Upon graduating from elementary school, she attended Central High School in the 1940s (soon to be the first STEM school in Syracuse). She decided to continue her education, not too far from home, enrolling at The State University of New York College at Cortland, graduating in the Class of 1948. For three of her years at Cortland, Ms. Carter was the only person of color on campus. She says that didn’t make any difference as she followed her passion to become a teacher.

Ms. Carter’s husband passed away 35 years ago. Although she never had any biological children, she was a mother to many. In September 1950, she became the first African American teacher in the Syracuse City School District. One of her first assignments was to teach thirty-six first graders at Charles Andrews Elementary School, which is now a housing complex on Salt Springs Road. After a few years of teaching, Ms. Carter became an Instructional Specialist, working to develop curriculums for inner city schools to help students with learning.

Ms. Carter’s contributions in the City school system transformed classrooms for generations to come. Today, there are more than 100 educators of color in the Syracuse City School District. In 1973, Ms. Carter was elected President of the Syracuse Teachers Association. She is the first and the only African American to hold this position.

After 40 years in the school system, Ms. Carter retired. However, her love for teaching was still there; she became a docent at the Everson Museum, and for 25 years educated thousands of visitors.

Ms. Carter still provides us with great knowledge, as she states, “Whatever it is that you want to do, believe in yourself and you can do it.”

A remarkable woman with a long career educating others, Ms. Carter turned 95 on August 9, 2021.