Fannie Coppin, born into slavery, eventually became a highly successful teacher, principal, community activist, columnist, and missionary. Photo credit: Public Domain

This February, during Black History Month, we are honoring exemplary African American educators in our nation’s history. Today, we shine a spotlight on Fanny Coppin, an outstanding educator from Washington, DC.

Fanny was born on October 15, 1837, the daughter of slaves. When she was 12 years old, her aunt purchased her freedom for $125. She moved to Newport, Rhode Island, where she worked as a servant for the author George Henry Calvert. During these years, she used some of her earnings to hire a private tutor to teach her for three hours each week.

In 1860, the same year the Civil War erupted, Fanny enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio. Oberlin was the first college in the United States to accept both Black and female students. At first, Fanny enrolled in the “ladies’ course,” but the next year, she switched to the more rigorous “gentlemen’s course.” As the Civil War years came to an end, Fanny founded a night school in Oberlin where she educated newly-freed enslaved people.

Once she earned her degree in 1865, this enterprising young educator accepted a position as a high school teacher at the Institute for Colored Youth (ICY) in Philadelphia. There she taught courses in Greek, Latin, and mathematics. Within a year she was promoted to principal of the Ladies Department. By 1869 Fanny had become principal of the entire institute, making her the first African American woman to wear the title of school principal. She held this position until 1906. In all, she invested 37 years of her life at the school.

In addition to her work at ICY, Fanny founded homes for working and poor women. She also published columns defending the rights of women and African Americans in local Philadelphia newspapers. Throughout her life, she was politically active and frequently spoke at political rallies.

In 1881 Fanny married the Rev. Levi Jenkins Coppin, and in 1902 the couple traveled to South Africa where they founded the Bethel Institute, a missionary school which emphasized self-help programs.

Fannie Coppin passed away on January 21, 1913, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was 76 years old. In 1926, a teacher training school in Baltimore, Maryland, was named the Fanny Jackson Coppin Normal School in her memory. Today, this school is known as Coppin State University.