Roberta Byrd Barr

Roberta Byrd Barr (January 4, 1919 – June 23, 1993) was an American civil rights activist, television personality, educator, and librarian. From the mid-1960s to the early 1970s, she hosted a weekly Seattle television show, Face to Face, which featured guest speakers discussing issues such as race, education, and welfare. In 1973 she became the first woman principal of a high school in Seattle.

Early life and education Roberta Spencer was born in Tacoma, Washington on January 4, 1919.

She attended Lincoln High School and Wilberforce University. She later earned a bachelor's degree in sociology and elementary education as well as a master's degree in librarianship from the University of Washington. In 1973 Barr became the principal of Lincoln High School, becoming both the first woman and the first African American to be a principal in the Seattle Public Schools district.

Career in acting and television Barr's career in acting began when she starred in a Cirque Theatre production of A Raisin in the Sun alongside Greg Morris.

Barr's photo hangs in the Douglass-Truth Branch of the Seattle Public Library to honor her efforts to promote the development of the library's African-American Collection.