Theodora Dansby Johnson, far left, graduates from Florida A&M University. (Circa 1937)
Anastasia Casimir, left, holds a photo of her relative, Theodora Dansby Johnson, while Dawn Palmer, right, holds a photo of her great-grandfather, Theodore Dansby.
Family Continues Education Legacy at Westminster Christian School
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n a brightly lit room with images of characters from classic American novels accessorizing the walls, Dawn Palmer stood up from her desk, positioned to the front, left-hand side, directly adjacent to her whiteboard, and addressed the class. “Let’s come up with adjectives for each of these characters,” she said.
Draped over the wall just behind her students were several long, wide pieces of white paper. At the top of each one, were different names from Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. As students diligently jotted down adjectives for Boo Radley, Atticus, Scout, Jem and Dill, Palmer walked around the room and surveyed their work, occasionally providing hints for new words.
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WESTMINSTER CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
For nearly 30 years, Palmer has been an educator. She’s taught in elementary schools in both Miami-Dade and Broward County, and at the collegiate level. Currently, she’s an English teacher at Westminster Christian School. “It’s an absolute blessing to work here,” said Palmer who has worked at Westminster since 2016. While 30 years on the job can make for a lengthy resume, she’s not the only one in her family with a lot to say about education. For Palmer, it’s a family trade. After earning a master’s degree in education, her great-grandfather, Theodore Dansby, became one of the first Black principals in South Florida.
Sondra Julien, Palmer’s mother.
“This was in the 1930s so segregation was still prevalent,” said Palmer. “He was selected to open a school for Black students in a Black community. Then, they would ask him to leave to open another school in another Black community, or to be a principal at a newly opened school.” Over time, he served as a principal in schools in Miami, Key West, Daytona Beach, Ocala, Leesburg and Live Oak. After retiring from the public school system, Dansby became the head of student loans, welfare and college placement for Edward Waters College, Florida’s first independent
