Black Voices in Education: Charlotte Forten Grimke
Today, our Black Voices in Education Series highlights Charlotte Forten Grimke, an anti-slavery activist, poet, and educator who helped teach the formerly enslaved in South Carolina. Charlotte was born in 1837 to a prominent abolitionist family in Philadelphia, and was home-schooled with her siblings as their father did not want them to attend a segregated school. In 1856, while enrolled in now-Salem State University to become a teacher, Charlotte became increasingly involved in the abolitionist movement, publishing several poems in anti-slavery publications and calling for Black women’s participation in the movement.
Dr. Edmund Gordon is a professor of psychology whose career work has heavily influenced contemporary thinking in psychology, education, and social policy. Dr. Gordon’s research and initiatives have focused on the positive development of under-served children of color, including advancing the concept of the “achievement gap.”
Septima Poinsette Clark was an educator, civil rights activist, and pioneer in grassroots citizenship education. She was born in Charleston, South Carolina in 1898, to parents who strongly encouraged education. Septima started her first teaching job on Johns Island, and spent nearly 30 years teaching throughout South Carolina, pursuing her own education during summer breaks.
Karen J. Pittman is a respected sociologist and leader in youth development, who has spent her career launching organizations and initiatives to promote healthy, positive development.
Today, we highlight Mary McLeod Bethune, one of the most important educators, civil and women's rights leaders, and government officials of the 20th century. Mary was born in 1875 in South Carolina to former slaves, and at the age of ten, became the first child in her family to attend school. After studying in North Carolina and Chicago to become a missionary, a lack of openings led Mary to return to the south to teach. In October of 1904, after relocating to Florida, Mary founded the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls with five students and $2.00.