Black History Month is observed annually in the United States to honor and celebrate the achievements and contributions of Black people to society. Recognizing the systemic barriers that prevented social, political, and economic growth amongst Black people, many found the courage to use their voice and fight against oppression.
Many of the following figures dedicated their lives to proving that equitable educational opportunities are needed for the Black community to overcome these barriers. The stories of Bethune, Jackson Coppin, Clark, Washington, and Caliver illustrate the impact of education as a tool for empowerment and equality, confirming Academy of Hope’s (AoH) belief in the power of advocacy. Read below to learn more about these educators’ impact:
Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)
After the Civil War, Mary McLeod Bethune benefited from opportunities made to educate African Americans. Being the first member of her family to not be born into slavery, she attended the Scotia Seminary Boarding School in North Carolina, becoming an educator shortly after graduation.
Later, she moved to Florida and opened the Daytona Literary and Industrial Training Institute for Negro Girls in 1904. By 1906, the school grew from three to 250 students. The school evolved into a higher education institution, merging with the Cookman Institute of Jacksonville, Florida, to become Bethune-Cookman College. She also founded the Mary McLeod Hospital and Training School for Nurses in hopes of serving Black individuals affected by health disparities, while providing workforce development for adult females.
While leading her schools, Bethune established several organizations and movements that spearheaded racial and gender equality, like integrating the Civilian Pilot Training Program at historically Black colleges (HBCUs), producing some of the country’s first Black pilots.
In 1936, Bethune became the highest-ranking African American woman in the country after becoming the first and only female on the “Black Cabinet,” an organized, unofficial group of advisors to former president Franklin D. Roosevelt. She’d later serve as the vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), a position she’d hold for the remainder of her life.
Fanny Jackson Coppin (1837-1913)
Fanny Jackson Coppin was a famous educator and missionary who supported the advancement of education for Black people. Born a slave in Washington, D.C., Jackson Coppin was freed by her aunt as a little girl, but continued to work as a domestic servant. She strived to earn an education when she could, eventually enrolling at Oberlin College in 1860. There, she opened a night class for freedmen to improve their literacy skills.
Graduating in 1865, she taught Latin, Greek, and mathematics at the Institute for Colored People in Philadelphia. In 1869, she was promoted to head principal, the first Black female in the country to hold such a title.
Alongside academic advancement, Jackson Coppin recognized that workforce development was essential in generating racial and gender equality. She introduced an education department to the institute, offering classes to help students become educators. After a decade of campaigning, a vocational training program was introduced, offering students to learn 10 different trades, and established the Women’s Industrial Exchange, where women could showcase their artwork.
She was the principal at the institute for over three decades until she joined her husband on a mission to South Africa. In the country, she counseled women and continued to support education.
Septima Poisonette Clark (1898-1987)
Nicknamed the “Mother of the Movement,” Septima Poisonette Clark was a trailblazer in the Civil Rights Movement and grassroots education. Despite the barriers placed on Black individuals, Clark’s parents encouraged her to advance her education. She did just that: Attended Avery Normal College to receive her teaching certificate in 1916, continued her studies under famous Black writer W.E.B. Du Bois, and earned her masters from Virginia Hampton’s Institute.
While working in a one-room schoolhouse in South Carolina, Clark fought for equal pay and equal educational opportunities for Black teachers and students. She joined the NAACP and participated in their class-action lawsuit for pay equality, and advocated against the state for prohibiting employees from joining civil rights organizations. The local NAACP branches, in addition to fellow teachers, stood firmly behind her, creating a network of support that amplified her voice and pressured the state to reconsider its stance. Despite the backlash, when she refused to resign from the NAACP, she lost her job, yet this only ignited broader community mobilization and further action.
Alongside Civil Rights Lawyer Thurgood Marshall, the two led citizenship workshops teaching literacy, individual rights, and how to complete a voter’s ballot. They’d inform their students about the power of knowledge and understanding their rights, aligning their lessons with current issues to engage adult learners. Their program would instruct and mold several activists, including Rosa Parks, and led to a dramatic increase of Black voters in the Deep South.
Her accomplishments were recognized by former President Jimmy Carter, who presented her with the Living Legacy Award.
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915)
From salt works to coal mines, Booker T. Washington would find time in between jobs to receive his education. In 1872, he’d walk 500 miles to attend Hampton University in Virginia, and later studied at the Wayland Seminary in Washington, D.C.
His excellent grades and passion for learning was recognized by Hampton’s founder, Brigadier General Samuel Chapman, convincing him to ask Washington to return as a teacher in 1879. Three years later, Chapman referred Washington to become the principal of a new school for African Americans: The Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute. The school would prepare students with industrial skills and economic mobility.
While Washington’s take on economic progress versus political and social progress remained controversial, he secretly funded legal challenges against Jim Crow laws and supported Black-run newspapers. He’d also use his influence as an advisor to former presidents Theodore Roosevelt and William H. Taft to discuss racial matters and the southern community.
Ambrose Caliver (1894-1962)
Growing up in rural Virginia, Ambrose Caliver saw the economic and educational disparities between Black and white folk. He earned three degrees in three years and would later receive his doctorate from Columbia University, proving that higher education is possible for people of color.
He also served as a high school teacher and principal, and was later hired at HBCU Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, to enact its vocational program. After 10 years of employment at the university, he was named the dean in 1927.
His work in education was recognized on the federal level. In 1930, former President Herbert Hoover appointed Caliver to the new role in the U.S. Office of Education: Senior Specialist in the Education of Negroes. Later, he’d join Bethune in the “Black Cabinet.” While working for the government, Caliver travelled to different schools and documented the effects of poor educational funding, published various writings on African American education, and created “Freedom Peoples,” a nine-part radio series on NBC highlighting Black accomplishments.
Adult literacy was another priority of Caliver. In 1946, he was named the director of the Project for Literacy Education. The next twenty years of his life were dedicated to adult literacy, measuring adult literacy rates in the United States to create an appropriate curriculum for learners and teacher training.
Conclusion
These leaders prove that lifelong learning draws the pathways towards Black empowerment and economic mobility. While racial disparities persist, their leadership has elevated education as a catalyst for opportunity, stability, and generational progress. Inspired by this legacy, Academy of Hope delivers high-quality, learner-centered education that equips adults with the skills, credentials, and confidence needed to advance economically, strengthen families, and help reshape communities.