This Black History Month, we’ll highlight 28 Black Educators in our Hall of Fame.
Octavius V. Catto was an educator and an activist; an eduactivist, born on February 22, 1839 in South Carolina. He was born in South Carolina, but he made his mark in Philadelphia. He attended the Institute for Colored Youth; an institution, founded as the African Institute, that trained Black youth to become teachers – free of charge. Catto was valedictorian of his graduating class and was immediately added to the school staff as assistant to the principal. He also taught.
Whether Classical Literature or Higher Mathematics, Catto was in the classroom. But he also taught his students liberation.
White teaching, Catto worked to secure the voting rights of Blacks in Pennsylvania. He was a member of a number of other civic, literary, patriotic and political groups. He worked to secure justice for all workers, specifically Black people and in his spare time, he was a player-coach for the best baseball CONTINUE READING: Octavius V. Catto, Black Educator Hall of Fame - Philly's 7th Ward