Brailsford R. Brazeal papers

Dr. Brailsford Reese Brazeal (b. 1903–d. 1981) was an educator, economist, author, labor and civil rights activist. He dedicated much of his life to education, human relations, labor issues, and racial equality. He received his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College in 1927 and his master’s degree in economics at Columbia University in 1928. He also received his Ph.D. from Columbia in economics and political science in 1942. In 1928, Dr. John Hope hired Dr. Brazeal as an economics instructor at Morehouse College. He went on to become a Professor of Economics and the Dean of Men in 1934 and the Head of the Department of Economics and Business Administration in 1946. He also served as an exchange teacher at Spelman College and Atlanta University during his twenty-five-year tenure.

Affectionately known as “Bra” by his family and friends, Dr. Brazeal was born on March 8, 1903 in Dublin, Georgia. His family moved to Atlanta, Georgia during his high school years, and he graduated from Morehouse Academy in 1923. In 1934, he married Ernestine Vivian Erskine. They had two children, Aurelia Erskine Brazeal and Ernestine Walton Brazeal, who graduated from Spelman College in 1963 and 1965, respectively. Mrs. Brazeal was also a Spelman College graduate and worked in the alumnae office for many years.

Dr. Brazeal’s scholarly interests and research focused extensively on labor equality and worker rights; he joined many organizations, including the Highlander Research and Education Center, previously known as the Highlander Folk School, the Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC), American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. He is especially noted for his research on the Pullman porters, and he published "The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters" in 1946. He was also involved in several collegiate and community organizations, including the Sigma Pi Phi (Boule), Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc., and Phi Beta Kappa. Dr. Brazeal served on the board of directors of Mutual Federal Savings and Loan Association and the Southern Regional Council. He was also a deacon at Friendship Baptist Church.

Dr. Brazeal’s additional research areas included discrimination, race relations, and voting rights. During his tenure at Morehouse College, he sought fellowships to pursue his writings, and in 1938, he was awarded the Rosenwald Fund Fellowship. He was a Hazen Foundation Associate in 1947. In addition to "The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters," he published numerous articles, and his unpublished works include the manuscript "Negro Employment: Fair and Unfair."