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intellectuals and educated men and women, the "brown brain trust"* of the country, were evident in the nation's capital. African Americans were present in federal and local government as civil servants, and as social workers, teachers, lawyers, dentists, doctors, businessmen and women. Some of the most prominent personalities during the New Deal and afterwards were Robert Weaver, adviser in the Labor Department, Judge William Hastie, civilian aide to the Secretary of War, Mary McLeod Bethune of the National Council of Negro Women, [Crystal Bird? Fauset in the Office of Civilian Defense,] Dr. Ralph Bunche, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, W.J. Trent? Jr. who worked at the Federal Works Agency, to cite a few of a continuing illustrious roster. Such personalities produced an elite class, hosting cotillions, banquets, lavish weddings, social and cultural clubs, and other noteworthy events in Washington D.C. 
The Thomas family moved comfortably within the ranks of Washington society. John Harris became a sexton at __?__ [[strikethrough]] Presbyterian church, [[\strikethrough]] and his wife Amelia [[strikethrough]] worked [[\strikethrough]] was a [[strikethrough]] seamstress. [[\strikethrough]] dress maker for  [[strikethrough]] the elite [[\strikethrough]] some of the non black elite of D.C.
The younger daughters, Maurice and Kathryn, attended Miner [[strikethrough]] Normal [[/strikethrough]] Elementary School. Alma selected intered the Armstrong Manual Training High School founded in 1901, [[strikethrough]]to complete her education[[/strikethrough]] which had been [founded in 1901,] by Wilson Bruce Evans, organizer and first principal, whose belief in "work with the hand, the mind, and the spirit" set the atmosphere for the training available to his students. [[strikethrough]] This [[/strikethrough]] The Armstrong Manual Training philosophy echoed [[strikethrough]] that [[/strikethrough]] of its dedication, [[strikethrough]] speaker [[/strikethrough]] Booker T. Washington, a

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