Roberta Sheridan played an incredibly pivotal role in Maryland education. In 1888, she became the first African American to teach in the Baltimore City School System; she taught at the Waverly School on Merryman's Lane. Despite this monumental achievement, little is known about her career. According to her obituary, she taught at Public School No. 9 on Carrolton and Riggs Avenues and at School No. 108 on South Caroline St. [1] There is no evidence that suggests what grade she taught, how long she taught at each school, or what subjects she taught.
The information that does exist about her professional career is not very detailed. She is listed as "teacher" in the 1890 Baltimore City Directory. In her 1903 divorce case, she gave her occupation as a teacher in the county. The 1910 Census cites her occupation as a teacher in a public school. Finally, she is recorded as a public school teacher on her death certificate in 1918. [2]
Many influential black citizens, including Frederick Douglass, campaigned for African American teachers in public schools. In the early 1880s, a committee formed to present the school board with a petition demanding that African Americans be allowed to teach in black schools. This committee had many distinguished members, including Reverend J. W. Beckett [3], the pastor of the Bethel AME Church, where Sheridan and her family were members. Indeed, Beckett may have known Sheridan through her capacities as a Sunday School teacher and eventually recommended her to the city's public school system. Finally, the years of petitioning ended in 1888, when the City made the historic decision to let African Americans teach in black public schools. Roberta Sheridan was selected to be the first African American to teach in a city public school.
Sheridan was already an experienced teacher. She taught Sunday School at the Bethel AME Church. Well after she established her career as a public school teacher, she left the Bethel AME Sunday School and taught at the Saint John's AME Sunday School.