Paul Lawrence Peeler with accordian

In 1937, Paul Lawrence Peeler became the first African American full-time teacher hired by the Pittsburgh Public Schools system. Peeler graduated from Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie Mellon University) in 1932 with a degree in music education, and he received an additional degree in violin in 1933. Peeler and his contemporary, James Miller, were the first African American students to graduate from the Carnegie Institute of Technology School of Music. As Pittsburgh Public Schools' first full-time African American educator, Peeler was a pioneer in Black education. His perseverance in overcoming racist discriminatory practices during the pre-WWII era helped to usher in a new generation of African American educators. Peeler taught music at the elementary and junior high school levels until his retirement in 1970.