Celebrating Black UCLA alumni
Black Bruins have been leaving their mark on UCLA’s history and on the world since the university was founded. In celebration of Black History Month, we’re spotlighting three notable Black UCLA alumni: Bessie Burke, James LuValle and Ava DuVernay.
Keep reading to learn about these Black UCLA alumni.
Bessie Burke
Bessie Burke was Los Angeles’s first African American teacher and principal. In 1911, she graduated seventh in a class of 800 from the Los Angeles State Normal School, which would ultimately become UCLA.
According to a UCLA newsletter, at the time of Burke’s graduation, Los Angeles schools were segregated, and there were no African American teachers. Burke defied the status quo by receiving a placement at Holmes Elementary straight out of college. After eight years, she was promoted to principal and went on to serve as principal of four schools. Aside from her career as an educator, she served in civic organizations like the Young Women's Christian Association, Native California club, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
James “Jimmy” LuValle
Jimmy LuValle was a notable athlete and scholar at UCLA and beyond. According to a UCLA newsletter, while he was an undergraduate at UCLA, LuValle was a Regent’s Scholar, a chemistry laboratory assistant, and captain of the track and field team.
The summer he graduated, LuValle won a bronze medal in the 400-meter event at the 1936 Olympic Games in Nazi Germany. After getting his master’s degree at UCLA and Ph.D at Linus Pauling at California Institute of Technology, LuValle first taught at Fisk University before becoming the first black chemist to work for the Eastman Kodak research labs. His research on color photography earned him three U.S. patents.
LuValle’s legacy at UCLA includes the Graduate Students Association, which he helped create during his time as a graduate student at UCLA. LuValle Commons, a restaurant and UCLA Store center in the north UCLA campus, was also named in his honor.
Ava DuVernay
Ava DuVernay is now known as an award-winning filmmaker, but she never studied film in an academic setting. DuVernay double majored in English literature and African-American studies at UCLA, and after graduating, she worked briefly in broadcast journalism before pivoting to publicity.
At 32, DuVernay began creating films centered on Black experiences and history. Her reputation and accolades grew steadily over time; for her films Selma (2014) and 13th (2016), DuVernay became the first Black woman to have a film nominated for Best Picture and for Best Documentary at the Oscars, according to UCLA Optimism.
Aside from her own film career, DuVernay is also committed to uplifting other Black filmmakers. According to UCLA Optimism, she started film company Array, which puts on African-American film festivals and organizes theatrical releases for black independent films.
To learn about more Black UCLA alumni, check out the UCLA Newsletter’s list of Inspirational Black Bruins through the link below.
