Month: October 2021

Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, 1858 – 1964 Born into slavery in 1858, Anna Julia Cooper’s potential was recognized after the Civil War, and at age 9 she got a scholarship to attend the newly opened St. Augustine’s Normal School and Collegiate Institute in Raleigh, N.C. It was founded to train teachers to educate the formerly enslaved,… Continue reading Anna Julia Cooper

Maggie Walker  1864-1934 Maggie Walker was one of the most prominent businesswomen in America during the turn of the century. In 1903 she founded the St. Luke Penny Savings Bank in Richmond, Virginia. When she cut the ribbon on opening day, she became the first female bank president in the United States. Walker also established… Continue reading Maggie Walker

Fannie Lou Hamer, 1917-1977 Fannie Lou Hamer was an American voting and women’s rights activist, community organizer, and a leader in the civil rights movement. Hamer organized Mississippi’s Freedom Summer along with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. In 1963 while attending a pro-citizenship conference by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Charleston, South Carolina, Hamer and others on their bus were arrested for not calling an office… Continue reading Fannie Lou Hamer

Biddy Mason, 1818-1891 Bridget “Biddy” Mason was born into slavery in Georgia She learned herbal medicine, midwifery and agricultural skills from other female slaves, and cared for the plantation owners, slaves, and livestock. In 1848 the owners and their slaves moved to Salt Lake City. The journey was grueling; Mason walked over 1700 miles carrying… Continue reading Biddy Mason