
Nu Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta, 1928. Antoinette E. Bowler sits in the center, 1st row, 3rd from left
1941 Antoinette Elizabeth Bowler had worked in the Richmond, Virginia school system for twenty years and yet her salary was half of what white teachers with similar experience made. In fact, the maximum salary for a black teacher was $1 less than the lowest paid white teacher and Bowler made less than what the white janitor made at her school. She and the black teachers in Richmond Teachers Association (RTA) finally decided to take a stand against the pay inequities in the school system. That year Antoinette volunteered to be the plaintiff in an NAACP federal case against the School Board of Richmond, Antoinette E. Bowler vs. School Board.
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Mounting a case against the school board could easily result in the loss of her job, however Bowler, the daughter of a prominent minister and school teacher knew that her upbringing, public prominence, and irreproachable character, gave the suit one of the best chances of winning widespread support of Richmond’s citizens. Bowler also bore an excellent academic record and graduated from Virginia Union University where she was a charter member of Nu Chapter of