degree in 1916, Brooks was qualified to teach at the high school level. She taught Spanish and English for six years at Washington D.C.'s prestigious Dunbar High School. Brooks went on to graduate study during summers at Columbia University in New York City and received her Master of Arts in 1928. Brooks devoted her life to education. Beginning in 1922, Julia Brooks was promoted to assistant principal at Dunbar High School, the academic high school for African Americans. This was an unusual position of authority for any woman and made her prominent in the Washington educational community. Brooks served in this position for 26 years, through the rest of her life. She was also appointed Dean of Girls. Because the District was run as part of the Federal government, African-American teachers in the public schools were paid on the same scale as whites. The city attracted outstanding teachers. Brooks directly assisted six nieces and nephews with obtaining a college education by support, taking them to special events, tutoring when necessary, and contributing financially. She was a charter member of Xi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha in Washington, D.C., established in 1923. Julia Brooks wrote an early history of the sorority, which she gave at the 1923 Boulé in Baltimore, Maryland. At Founders' Day at Xi Omega on January 30, 1924, the history was presented as a lecture. Julia Brooks died on November 24, 1948. References External links Julia Evangeline Brooks Biography at Virginia Commonwealth University Howard University alumni 1882 births 1948 deaths People from New Orleans Alpha Kappa Alpha founders African-American women academics American women academics 20th-century American educators Lincoln University (Pennsylvania) alumni African-American academics 20th-century American women educators 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American educators