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 Nannie Helen Burroughs.
Nannie Helen Burroughs, an educator and eduactivist; she was indeed a triple threat.
Burroughs was born May 2, 1879 in Virginia. Her mother, seeking better educational opportunities for her Black children moved to the nation’s capital. While the educational system was better, as Black people continue to experience today, the racism was the same. But, as many Black children continue to experience, their dedicated Black teachers helped them to learn content and context and equipped them with the tools, shields, and armor to navigate and undermine America’s racist and misogynistic systems. One of Nannie’s teachers was the legendary Mary Church Terrell. One of the administrators of the M Street School, a historic institution, was Anna J. Cooper.
After attending school in Washington D.C., she landed in Louisville, Kentucky with the National Baptist Convention (NBC), serving as a bookkeeper and CONTINUE READING: Nannie Helen Burroughs, Black Educator Hall of Fame Member - Philly's 7th Ward
Today, our featured Black Educator is Mary McLeod Bethune.
Mary McLeod Bethune was one of the most influential eduactivist of the 20th century. She was an influential leader and stalwart for the civil rights of Black people, women, and the education of Black children. Educational justice planning for it and implementation of it, was her north star.
Born in South Carolina in 1875, Mary showed early leadership in organizing her siblings (she was one of seventeen) and would walk five miles to school. Her family, unable to send everyone to school, chose Mary to be their educational representative.
Bethune initially planned on being a Christian missionary. She graduated from Scotia Seminary and attended Dwight Moody’s Home for Foreign Missions. However, no one would sponsor a missionary trip for her. So, CONTINUE READING: MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE, BLACK EDUCATOR HALL OF FAME MEMBER