E’ry day this month, the Center for Black Educator Development, in partnership with Phillys7thWard.org, will highlight a Black Educator Hall of Famer.
But, don’t forget, e’ry month is Black History Month…February is just the Blackest.
Today, our featured Black Educator is Maria L. Baldwin.
Maria Louise Baldwin was born in 1856 in Massachusetts. She graduated from Cambridge High School in 1874 and the city’s teacher training school a year later. She was encouraged to go teach in the south, “to…work for those with more limited educational opportunities.” She taught for seven years in Maryland after graduation, before returning to Cambridge to teach primary grades for the Cambridge Public Schools – thanks to the advocacy of Black residents. She was the first Black public school teacher in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Baldwin taught at the Agassiz school for 8 years before reluctantly becoming principal in 1889. In 1916, Baldwin was made master of the school. A Black person being a school master was unheard of and Baldwin was only one of CONTINUE READING: Black Educator Hall of Fame Member Maria L. Baldwin - Philly's 7th Ward
Today, our featured Black Educator is Dr. Ambrose Caliver.
Dr. Ambrose Caliver dedicated his entire career to the pursuit of educational justice for the Black community. Ambrose Caliver was born in Virginia in 1894. An opportunistic learner, Caliver obtained three degrees within the span of three years; bachelor’s degree (Knoxville College), industrial arts (Tuskegee University), and personnel management (Harvard). Caliver would later earn his master’s degree from the University of Wisconsin and his doctorate from Columbia University’s Teacher College.
Caliver also served as a high school teacher and principal.
Eventually, Caliver left the K-12 world for the world of higher education. He accepted an appointment at Fisk University in 1917 to implement its vocational education program. In 1927, Caliver was made dean of the University.
Caliver’s education and work earn him the post of Senior Specialist in the CONTINUE READING: DR. AMBROSE CALIVER, BLACK EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME
