On October 19, 1909, educator, civil rights activist, and orator Nannie Helen Burroughs opened the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C. Also known as the National Trade and Professional School for Women and Girls, the institution expanded educational opportunities for Black women and girls by combining academic study, vocational training, and religious instruction. Burroughs envisioned education as a foundation for economic independence and community leadership.
Creating the school required years of organizing and fundraising. The National Baptist Convention purchased a six-acre property in Northeast Washington, while Burroughs raised money within the Black community rather than depending on wealthy white benefactors. Much of that support came through small donations from Black women and children, making the school an expression of collective investment as well as individual determination.
Burroughs called her institution “the school of the three B’s—Bible, Bath and Broom,” reflecting its emphasis on religious development, personal cleanliness, and practical work. Its demanding curriculum combined academic education with preparation for employment. Rather than treating domestic labor as incompatible with advancement, she sought to dignify that work while expanding the occupations available to her students.
Initially operating in a small farmhouse, the school grew to include Trades Hall, constructed in 1928, and attracted students from across the United States, the Caribbean, and Africa. Its history demonstrates how Black women organized, financed, and led institutions that challenged restricted access to education and employment. The surviving historic buildings preserve the legacy of Burroughs’s commitment to self-reliance, opportunity, and advancement.
