Jessie May McGuire Dent
Galveston, Galveston County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Born in Galveston on March 24, 1892 to Robert and Alberta (Mabson) McGuire, Jessie May McGuire Dent was an important Galveston Civil Rights figure. In 1909, she graduated as valedictorian from Central High School. While a student at Howard University, she became one of the 22 founding members of Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 1913. Delta Sigma Theta would become one of the most important black sororities in America. After graduating from Howard, McGuire Dent returned to Central High School as girls’ dean and Latin teacher. She married Thomas Dent in 1924, and they had one child, Thomas Henry Dent, Jr. McGuire Dent was an active member of the Galveston community, belonging to Avenue L Missionary Baptist Church, the Red Cross, NAACP, Galveston’s Community Chest, the Colored Independent Voters League and the Colored Teachers State Association of Texas. In 1941, she established what is now the Galveston Almunae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta. McGuire Dent is most known for the 1943 case Jessie McGuire Dent, et al vs. The Board of Trustees of the Public Free Schools of the City of Galveston, Texas, et al. The case was the second to demand equal pay for African American teachers, deans, secretaries and principals filed by the NAACP in Texas. The court ruled that the Galveston School District must pay African Americans equally, regardless of whether the employee was educated in segregated schools. McGuire Dent died March 12, 1948, and is buried in Lakeview Cemetery. In honor of her contributions to the sorority, education and community, the Galveston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta named their scholarship for Galveston County High School graduates after her. In 1999, Galveston named its recreation center, on the site of her family home, in honor of McGuire Dent for her contributions to the city and equality for African Americans. (2020)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Born in Galveston in 1892, Jessie May McGuire Dent was valedictorian of Central High School and, while at Howard University, one of the 22 founders of Delta Sigma Theta sorority in 1913. Returning home to teach Latin and serve as girls' dean, she became a pillar of Black civic life. She is best remembered for the 1943 lawsuit that forced the Galveston school district to pay African American educators equally—only the second such NAACP equal-pay case in Texas.
Why it matters
Dent's courtroom victory was an early, concrete win in the long legal campaign against Jim Crow inequality, and her sorority work helped build one of the nation's most influential Black women's organizations.
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Related people
- · Jessie May McGuire Dent
- · Thomas Dent
Related events
- · Founding of Delta Sigma Theta (1913)
- · Dent v. Galveston school board equal-pay case (1943)
Themes & tags
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