People, Locations, Episodes

George William Cook, Educator born

*George William Cook was born on this date in 1855.   He was a Black educator, administrator, and activist.   Born a slave in Winchester, Virginia, he was one of 8 children of Eliza and Peyton Cook. His family moved to Harrisburg, PA, where he worked in the home of Dr. Mooma.  There, the doctor allowed […]

Josephine Leavell, Music Teacher and Organist born

*Josephine Leavell was born on this date in 1855. She was an African American pianist, organist and music teacher.

Richard Wright Sr., Entrepreneur born

*Richard Wright Sr. was born on this date in 1855. He was a Black military officer, educator, college president, politician, civil rights advocate, and banking entrepreneur. Richard Robert Wright Sr. was born into slavery in a log cabin six miles from Dalton, Georgia. After emancipation, Wright’s mother moved with her son from Dalton to Cuthbert, Georgia. He attended the Storrs […]

Berea College is Founded

On this date in 1855, we celebrate the founding of Berea College, the oldest continually integrated college in America.

Located in Berea, KY, its spiritual foundation, “God has made of one blood all peoples of the earth,” has shaped its culture and programs. Founder John G.

Booker T. Washington, Educator, and Inspirational Source born

On this date in 1856, Booker T. Washington was born. He was a Black activist and educator, who urged Blacks to gain equality through education and economic advancement.

Wilberforce University is Founded

This date marks the founding of Wilberforce University in 1856. The school is a private, coeducational institution affiliated with the African Methodist Episcopal Church.

On this date, application was made to the authorities of Greene County and the State of Ohio under the name of “The Wilberforce University.” Wilberforce University is named to honor the British Abolitionist, Sir William Wilberforce.

Maria L. Baldwin, Educator born

Maria Louise Baldwin, a Black teacher, was born on this date in 1856.

Maaria Baldwin was the oldest daughter of Peter L. and Mary E. Baldwin of Cambridge, MA, where she spent all of her school days. At the age of five, she entered the Sargent Primary School, attended the Allston Grammar School, and finally the Cambridge High School, graduating in 1874.

Mary Graham, Teacher born

*Mary Graham’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1857. She was a Black Teacher and journalist.   Mary Henrietta Graham was born in Windsor, Ontario, to a white Englishwoman mother (Sarah) and a Black father (Levi) from Illinois. She was the second oldest of at least four children and was nicknamed “Mollie.”  At some […]

James Solomon Russell, Deacon, and Administrator born

*James Solomon Russell was born on this date in 1857. He was a Black teacher, minister, and administrator. James Russell was born to Araminta, an enslaved woman on the Hendrick plantation in Mecklenburg County, VA. His enslaved father, Solomon Russell, worked on the Russell plantation in Warren County, North Carolina. After the Union victory in […]

Anna Evans Murray, Educator, and Child Advocate, born

*Anna Evans Murray’s birth is celebrated on this date in 1857. She was a Black civic leader, educator, and early advocate for training kindergarten teachers. Anna Evans was born in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1857. She was one of eight children of Henry Evans, a Black undertaker and cabinetmaker, and Henrietta Leary Evans, a woman of […]

Henry Cheatham, Educator, and Congressman born

On this date in 1857, Henry Plummer Cheatham was born. He was a Black politician and a member of the House of Representatives in North Carolina.

Frank M. Boyer, Community Visionary born

*Frank Boyer was born on this date in 1858. He was a Black settler and teacher. Francis Marion Boyer was born in Washington County, Missouri, the son of Henry Boyer, a freedman from Pullam, Georgia. His father was a wagoner with the army units during the Mexican-American War. As a child, he heard stories about […]

Fannie Washington, Tuskegee Educator born

The birth of Fannie Norton Smith Washington in 1858 is celebrated on this date. She was an African American educator and activist.

Born in Malden, West Virginia, she was the daughter of Samuel and Cecilia Smith. She knew Booker T. Washington for most of her life. As one of his pupils, she gained admission to Hampton Institute, but left it in 1878, for lack of money. Smith then taught school for two years near Malden, walking three miles daily and tending to her mother’s needs after school. Smith graduated in 1880 and married Booker T. Washington that summer.

Anna Julia Cooper, Educator, and Feminist born

*On this date in 1858, Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was born. She was a Black educator and activist.

Rosa Kinckle Jones, Music Teacher born

*The birth of Rosa Kinckle Jones is marked on this date in 1858. She was a Black music teacher.   Rosa Daniel Kinckle was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, to free black parents.  Jones attended that city’s public school until 1877 when she left for Howard University, from which she graduated with honors in 1880.  She devoted the first years of her […]