Rachel Bassette Noel
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Rachel Bassette Noel (January 15, 1918 – February 4, 2008) was an American educator, politician and
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
leader in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. She is known for the "Noel Resolution", a 1968 plan to integrate the Denver city school district, and her work to implement that plan, as well as other work on civil rights. When elected to the
Denver Public Schools The Denver County School District No. 1, more commonly known as the Denver Public Schools (DPS), is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States. History In 1859, Owen J. Goldrick established the Union Scho ...
Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
in 1965, Noel was the first African-American woman elected to public office in Colorado. In 1996, Noel was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. She was born in
Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
to college-educated parents; her father was a doctor. She earned bachelor's and master's degrees from Hampton Institute and Fisk University, respectively. She and her husband, a physician from Jackson, Mississippi, moved to Denver after he finished his residency.


Personal life

Rachel Bassette was born in 1918 in
Hampton, Virginia Hampton () is an independent city (United States), independent city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the population was 137,148. It is the List ...
to parents who were both college graduates. Her father, A. W. E. Bassette Jr., was a lawyer. From an early age, her parents emphasized the importance of education. Bassette graduated ''magna cum laude'' with a bachelor's degree from Hampton Institute (now known as
Hampton University Hampton University is a private, historically black, research university in Hampton, Virginia. Founded in 1868 as Hampton Agricultural and Industrial School, it was established by Black and White leaders of the American Missionary Association af ...
) and earned a master's degree in
sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...
from
Fisk University Fisk University is a private historically black liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus is a historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 1930, Fisk was the first Africa ...
, both historically black universities. In October 1942, she married Dr. Edmond F. Noel (1916-1986) from
Jackson, Mississippi Jackson, officially the City of Jackson, is the Capital city, capital of and the List of municipalities in Mississippi, most populous city in the U.S. state of Mississippi. The city is also one of two county seats of Hinds County, Mississippi, ...
, whom she had met at Fisk. Born in Holmes County, Mississippi and reared in Jackson, he was named for a half-uncle, Edmond Favor Noel, governor of Mississippi, serving from 1908 to 1912. The African-American physician and European-American politician were from different lines of descendants of Leland Noel, a major white planter in Holmes County before the American Civil War. Noel completed his undergraduate degree at Howard University and got his medical degree at Fisk. Edmond Noel served as a medical officer in the Army during World War II, from 1942 to April 1946. After he completed his residency, the Noel couple moved to
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
in 1949. It was during the years of the Great Migration of African Americans from the South to the West. Edmond Noel was the first African American to practice medicine in Denver. He was affiliated with Rose Hospital, a new hospital founded by the Jewish community. He was the first African American to have staff privileges at a hospital in Denver. He also set up his own practice in the Five Points community. Together, they had a son, Edmond "Buddy" Noel Jr., born in 1946, and a daughter, Angela Noel, born in 1950. Buddy graduated from Dartmouth College and Harvard University Law, and practices as a lawyer in Denver. Rachel Bassette Noel became increasingly active in civil rights and school issues in Denver. (See below). Her husband Edmond Noel died in 1986. In her last years, Noel moved from Denver to
Oakland, California Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
in 2007 to live with her daughter. Noel died on February 4, 2008. She is survived by her two children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.


Civic life

Noel became active in civic affairs and politics in the 1960s, working to integrate local schools and ensure that minorities had equal opportunities. In 1965, Noel was elected as the first African American to serve on the
Denver Public Schools The Denver County School District No. 1, more commonly known as the Denver Public Schools (DPS), is the public school system in the City and County of Denver, Colorado, United States. History In 1859, Owen J. Goldrick established the Union Scho ...
Board of Education A board of education, school committee or school board is the board of directors or board of trustees of a school, local school district or an equivalent institution. The elected council determines the educational policy in a small regional are ...
. She was the first African-American woman elected to public office in Colorado. She presented what became known as the Noel Resolution to the Board of Education on April 25, 1968, and called for the Denver area school district superintendent to develop a plan for integration, providing equal educational opportunity for all children. Public opposition was high, and Noel and her family received many threatening phone calls and hate mail. The resolution was passed in February 1970. Noel was a professor at
Metropolitan State College of Denver Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver or Metro State) is a public university in Denver, Colorado. MSU Denver is located on the Auraria Campus, along with the University of Colorado Denver and the Community College of Denver, in do ...
, where she founded the African-American Studies Department in 1971, chairing it until 1980. Noel was also a member of the Chancellor's Advisory Committee for the Health Sciences at the
University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...
and the
University of Colorado at Denver The University of Colorado Denver (CU Denver) is a public research university in Denver, Colorado. It is part of the University of Colorado system. History University of Colorado System Anschutz Medical Campus The University of Colorado create ...
. She was appointed as a Commissioner of the Denver Housing Authority Noel served on the Advisory Board of the
United States Civil Rights Commission The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (CCR) is a bipartisan, independent commission of the United States federal government, created by the Civil Rights Act of 1957 during the Eisenhower administration, that is charged with the responsibility for ...
.


Legacy and honors

*She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Public Service degree by the
University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private university, private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Mountain States, Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is ...
. *In 1976 she was appointed by Governor Richard Lamm to serve on the University of Colorado Board of Regents; in 1978 she was elected statewide to a six-year term on the board, and served as chair of the board for one year. *The Rachel B. Noel Distinguished Professorship was endowed in her honor in 1981 at Metropolitan State College of Denver. A visiting professor is named each year; Noel Professors have included Princeton professor Cornel West, international philanthropist Julius Coles, pianist Billy Taylor, author
Iyanla Vanzant Iyanla Vanzant (born Rhonda Eva Harris; September 13, 1953) is an American inspirational speaker, lawyer, New Thought spiritual teacher, author, life coach, and television personality. She is known primarily for her books, her eponymous talk sho ...
, Johnnetta B. Cole, former president of Spelman College; jazz singer
Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer. Biography Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and h ...
; Ossie Davis, the actor and civil rights activist; and
Lerone Bennett, Jr. Lerone Bennett Jr. (October 17, 1928 – February 14, 2018) was an African-American scholar, author and social historian who analyzed race relations in the United States. His works included ''Before the Mayflower'' (1962) and '' Forced into Gl ...
, executive editor of ''
Ebony (magazine) ''Ebony'' is a monthly magazine that focuses on news, culture, and entertainment. Its target audience is the African-American community, and its coverage includes the lifestyles and accomplishments of influential black people, fashion, beauty, an ...
.'' *In 1990 she received the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Award. *1996, Noel was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. *The Rachel B. Noel middle school in Denver is named in her honor.


See also

* '' Brown v. Board of Education'' *
Education in the United States Education in the United States is provided in public and private schools and by individuals through homeschooling. State governments set overall educational standards, often mandate standardized tests for K–12 public school systems and sup ...
* ''
Plessy v. Ferguson ''Plessy v. Ferguson'', 163 U.S. 537 (1896), was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in quality ...
'' *
Racial segregation Racial segregation is the systematic separation of people into race (human classification), racial or other Ethnicity, ethnic groups in daily life. Racial segregation can amount to the international crime of apartheid and a crimes against hum ...


References


Further reading


Summer Marie Cherland, ''No Prejudice Here: Racism, Resistance, and the Struggle for Equality in Denver, 1947-1994''
2014, UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers and Capstones, 2526
Robert T. Connery, ''Keyes v. School District No.1''
2013, History Colorado, Online Exhibits * Jeanne Varnell, ''Women of Consequence: The Colorado Women's Hall of Fame'', Big Earth Publishing, 1999 {{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Rachel B. 1918 births 2008 deaths African-American people in Colorado politics 20th-century African-American women politicians Fisk University alumni University of Denver alumni University of Colorado faculty African-American activists Activists for African-American civil rights School board members in Colorado Politicians from Denver Politicians from Hampton, Virginia Hampton University alumni African-American history of Colorado 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians American women academics 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American politicians 21st-century African-American women