Historically, Black women educators have been architects of change, using education to challenge systemic barriers, advance civil rights, and inspire generations. From advocating for desegregation to becoming presidents of universities, these trailblazing women have empowered their communities. Today, we honor the impactful contributions of 13 influential Black women whose work reminds us that education is a powerful tool for change!
1. Caroline LeCount
Caroline LeCount (1846–1923) was a trailblazing educator, activist, and leader in Philadelphia’s African American community. A valedictorian graduate of the Institute for Colored Youth, she became a teacher and principal at the Ohio Street School, dedicating nearly 50 years to education and advocating for Black teachers’ equality in the city. LeCount played a pivotal role in the fight against streetcar segregation.
In 1867, she enforced Pennsylvania’s new anti-segregation law by ensuring the arrest of a conductor who refused her boarding. She also served as an officer in the Ladies’ Union Association, organizing fairs and supply collections to support African American troops during the Civil War.
Beyond her dedication to education, she was also a gifted orator. She was well-known for her powerful speeches and public readings at community events. LeCount retired in 1911 and died in 1923, leaving a legacy of justice, leadership, and unwavering commitment to equality.
2. Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings
Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings (1947-Present) was born in Philadelphia and is a trailblazing educator and scholar whose work has revolutionized education for Black children. As a student in segregated schools, she experienced “fugitive learning,” where Black teachers defied restrictive curricula to teach complete Black history. These experiences shaped her career and commitment to addressing systemic inequities in education.
As a graduate of Morgan State University and the University of Washington, she focused her research on the practices of successful teachers with African American students. She also introduced the concept of culturally relevant pedagogy (CRP), which redefined the teaching craft by using an asset-based approach when teaching students from marginalized communities.
Her influential 1994 book, The Dreamkeepers, highlighted effective teaching practices for African American children and remains essential in educational research. Dr. Ladson-Billings became the first Black woman tenured in the University of Wisconsin–Madison’s School of Education and has served in leadership roles, including as president of the American Educational Research Association. Her work has earned numerous accolades and honorary degrees, solidifying her as a visionary whose scholarship continues to inspire educators and advance equitable education for all students.
3. Joyce Abbott
Joyce Abbott (1959-Present) is a retired educator who dedicated 25 years to teaching in Philadelphia’s inner-city schools after serving in the United States Army. She was among the early participants in the U.S. Army’s “Troops to Teachers” program, which supports veterans transitioning into teaching careers.
Abbott left an imprint on the schools where she taught. In 2023, Overbrook High School inducted her into its Hall of Fame, and the street where the school is located was renamed “Joyce Abbott Way.” Her influence extended far beyond the classroom, inspiring her former student Quinta Brunson to name the hit TV show Abbott Elementary in her honor. Now an author and speaker, Abbott continues to empower teachers and uplift her community.
4. Hazel Harvey Peace
Hazel Bernice Harvey Peace (1903–2008) was a pioneering educator who dedicated nearly 50 years to teaching and community service. During her early career, when Fort Worth public libraries excluded African American patrons, she helped her students prepare for debate competitions by borrowing books from local universities.
Over the years, Peace held various roles at I.M. Terrell High School, including teacher, debate coach, counselor, dean of girls, and vice principal. She also served as director of student affairs at Bishop College in Dallas until 1982. She rounded out her teaching portfolio by teaching at several colleges, including Paul Quinn College, Huston-Tillotson College, and Prairie View A&M University.
Peace was a torchbearer for the 2002 Winter Olympics as the torch passed through Fort Worth to Salt Lake City. Before Peace passed away in 2008 at the age of 105, she instructed her estate trustees to Howard, Texas Wesleyan, the Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, and Our Mother of Mercy Catholic Elementary School. In her honor, the Fort Worth Independent School District opened Hazel Harvey Peace Elementary School in 2010.
5. Victorine Q. Adams
“I should be regarded not only as the wife of Willie Adams but as a woman who has used her influence and affluence to better the community in which she lives.” – Victorine Q. Adams
Victorine Quille Adams (1912–2006) was the first African American woman elected to the Baltimore City Council, serving from 1967 to 1983. After graduating from Coppin State University and Morgan State University, Adams taught in Baltimore City for fourteen years. In 1946, she founded the Colored Women’s Democratic Campaign Committee, which helped elect Maryland’s first African American woman to the state senate.
Adams also co-founded Woman Power, Incorporated in 1958 to mobilize African American women for political and community action. She successfully ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 1966 but resigned after winning a seat on the Baltimore City Council. While serving on the council, she established the Baltimore Fuel Fund to assist families with heating costs, a program later adopted by other cities across the state of Maryland.
6. Anna Julia Cooper
Anna Julia Cooper (1858–1964) was a trailblazing educator, scholar, and advocate for racial and gender equality. Cooper disagreed with Booker T. Washington’s focus on vocational training, believing that Black students should also be encouraged to pursue higher education and provided with the support and resources to do so.
As principal of M Street High School in Washington, DC, she focused on college preparation and scholarship assistance for African American students. This helped some of her students gain admission to prestigious universities like Yale, Mount Holyoke, Brown, and Harvard. She later became president of Frelinghuysen University, a former HBCU in DC, and provided working-class Black adults with both vocational and academic opportunities.
After her presidency, she served as the university’s registrar for ten years. Cooper’s legacy extends beyond her academic work. Her influential book, A Voice from the South (1892), is a cornerstone of Black feminist thought, advocating for the empowerment and education of Black women.
Her quote, “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class – it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity,” is the only quote by a woman featured in the U.S. passport. Cooper’s lifelong dedication to equality and education has cemented her as a pioneering figure in American history.
7. Charlotte Forten Grimké
Charlotte Forten Grimké (1837-1914) was an abolitionist, educator, writer, translator, and women’s rights activist. She was the first African American graduate of Salem State’s class of 1856. During the Civil War, she volunteered for the Port Royal Experiment, a government initiative providing assistance and education to newly freed enslaved people on the Sea Islands of South Carolina. Grimké then moved to Washington D.C., and accepted a position at the only college prep high school for African Americans in D.C. She left shortly after to take a position with the U.S. Treasury.
8. Fanny Jackson Coppin
Fanny Jackson Coppin (1837-1913) was a teacher, principal, missionary, and advocate for the civil rights and education of African Americans. She pursued an education at Oberlin College, becoming the first African American to graduate from this institution. After graduating, Coppin moved to Philadelphia and began her career as an educator.
Coppin taught at the Institute for Colored Youth (ICY), a school dedicated to providing education for African American students. She quickly rose to become the school’s principal in 1869. She also spent several years as a missionary in South Africa, continuing to advocate for global access to education. Coppin State University is named in her honor.
9. Mary Mcleod Bethune
Mary Mcleod Bethune (1875-1955) was an educator, national civil rights pioneer, and activist. Dr. Bethune’s career famously started the Daytona Literary. After recognizing the lack of medical treatment available for African Americans, she founded the Mary Mcleod Hospital and Training School for Nurses.
She was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to the National Youth Administration, being the only female member of Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet.” She was the only Black woman at the founding conference of the United Nations. She also served on President Truman’s Committee of Twelve for National Defense. She also founded Bethune-Cookman University.
10. Rita F. Pierson
Rita F. Pierson (1951-2013) was an educator, counselor, testing coordinator, and assistant principal. After graduating with her teaching degree from Elmhurst College, she dedicated 40 years of her life to education.
Pierson conducted professional development workshops for thousands of educators. She is well known for her TED Talk, “Every Child Deserves a Champion”, where she emphasizes the importance of building relationships with students and being their advocate. She believed every child deserves an adult who will never give up on them, and encourage them to be the best they could possibly be.
11. Johnetta B. Cole
Johnetta B. Cole (1936-Present) is an anthropologist, educator, museum director, and college president. Cole served as president of both Spelman College and Bennett College for Women, two historically Black colleges for women. When Cole was appointed as President of Spelman, she became the first Black American to hold this position.
Dr. Cole taught at numerous institutions, holding over 50 honorary degrees. After retiring, Cole continued to serve as chair of Johnetta B. Cole Global Diversity and Inclusion in Atlanta. She currently serves at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African Art.
12. Dr. Mamie L. McKnight
Dr. Mamie L. McKnight (1930-2018) was an influential educator. Born in Dallas, McKnight was trained as a research scientist and mathematician at some of the best HBCU programs in the country. At the age of 25, she published an article on the prismoidal formula, used to calculate the volume of prisms, pyramids, and wedges.
McKnight became an educator at Lincoln High School and Madison High School and founded the organization Black Dallas Remembered Inc., which helped preserve African American sites in Dallas County. Dr. McKnight fought the Texas Department of Transportation and the City of Dallas’ decision to expand the Central Expressway, which was intended to destroy Freedman’s Cemetery, and helped establish Freedman’s Memorial. McKnight also served on the Dallas Landmark Commission and the Texas Historical Commission.
13. Roberta Sheridan
Roberta Sheridan (1864-1918) was a lifelong educator, and was the first Black public school teacher in a Baltimore City public school, teaching during segregation. Sheridan had faced difficulties finding employment because of racial discrimination. However, she persevered in her teaching career. Her teaching career revealed her passionate devotion to education. Sheridan’s appointment as the first Black teacher was a huge achievement for the Black teachers, leaders, and community members who have fought for equal education for years in Baltimore.
