Tag Archives: African American Teachers

African American teacher, poet, and biographer Henrietta Cordelia Ray

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African American teacher, poet, and biographer Henrietta Cordelia Ray became known for her sonnets and her ode to Abraham Lincoln.

Many excellent educators have also earned fame for their endeavors outside of the classroom. One of these was Henrietta Cordelia Ray, an African American teacher who is best known for composing a poem about Abraham Lincoln that is associated with the Freedmen’s Memorial located in Washington, DC.

Henrietta was born on Aug. 30, 1852, in New York City. Her father was Charles Bennett Ray, a blacksmith, abolitionist, and clergyman.

As a young woman, Henrietta earned her degree in pedagogy from the University of the City of New York in 1891. She also studied French, German, Greek, and Latin at the Sauvener School of Languages. Then she launched her career as a public school teacher in New York City schools. During this period, Henrietta also became active in community-building and political activism.

Henrietta gave up her position as an educator to pursue a career as a writer. One her pieces, an eight-line ode to Abraham Lincoln, was read at the unveiling of the Freedmen’s Memorial in Washington, DC, in April, 1876. At this unveiling ceremony, the prominent African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass served as the keynote speaker. In 1887, Henrietta co-authored a biography of her father with her sister, Florence. The book was entitled “Sketch of the Life of Rev. Charles B. Ray.” Henrietta also published a collection of sonnets in 1893 and a second book of poetry in 1910.  Selections from the 1910 volume were widely included in anthologies published in the early 20th century. Frequently, the subjects of her verse were nature, piety, and idealism.

In her retirement years, Henrietta returned to her original vocation of teaching. She tutored students and instructed English classes for teachers. In addition, she organized and participated in regional and national conferences for African American teachers.

Sadly, Henrietta passed away on Jan. 5, 1916. She was 63 years old.

Nellie Ramsey Leslie: The former slave who taught emancipated citizens

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Nellie Ramsesy Leslie: The former slave who taught elementary school and music to emancipated citizens. Photo credit: Public Domain

I love to share stories of exceptional African American educators, especially during Black History Month. One of the most interesting of these educators is Nellie Ramsey Leslie, a teacher, composer, and musician from the American South.

Nellie was born into slavery in Virginia in circa 1840. The exact date of her birth is not known. When the Civil War ended in 1865 and left her emancipated, the 25-year-old ventured north to Ohio to attend school. Once she completed her education, she relocated to New Orleans, Louisiana. There she founded a musical conservatory for girls under the auspices of the Freedmen’s Bureau. In New Orleans, Nellie educated newly freed slaves and their children.

Between 1870 and 1872, Nellie decided to refine her teaching practices by completing courses at Straight University Normal School. Straight is now known as Dillard University. Once Nellie completed those courses, she accepted a teaching position in Straight. Two years later she relocated to Amite City in Tangipahoah Parish. She taught there for two years.

In 1874, Nellie married the Reverend R. A. Leslie, a Native American of the Creek tribe. The couple moved to Osyka, Mississippi. Six years later, Nellie and R. A. moved to the Indian Territory located in the state now known as Oklahoma.There the couple established schools for emancipated Creeks. The next year Nellie and R. A. founded a boarding house in Muskogee, Oklahoma.

Following her husband’s death in 1884, Nellie traveled to the Boston Conservatory of Music where she took courses in music. Then she traveled to Corpus Christi, Texas, where she established a music school. Later, she returned to Indian Territory, where she taught in a private academy for African American girls. The veteran educator also taught at the Tallahassee Mission School for three years.

This Chalkboard Champion passed away in Muskogee, Oklahoma, sometime in the 1920’s. Again, the exact date of her death in unknown. To read more about her, check out the Google book version of Notable Negro Women: Their  Triumphs and Activities by Monroe A. Majors, which you can access at this link: Notable Negro Women.

Teacher Charlotte Forten Grimke: A Civil War heroine

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Here is a short video below by author and retired teacher Terry Lee Marzell. She describes a remarkable Civil War-era teacher, Charlotte Forten Grimke. This Chalkboard champion, born into a free Black family, went to the South to teach emancipated slaves, even though the Civil War was raging all around her. Watch to learn more:

 

 

Florida Coach Lin-J Shell prevented potential tragedy on campus

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Florida Football Coach and PE teacher Lin-J Shell became a Chalkboard Hero when he prevented a potential tragedy on his school campus. 

Many talented educators have also had successful careers as athletes. One of these is Wagner Lindsell Shell, Jr., also known as Lin-J Shell. He is a former professional football player who later taught high school physical education. But he’s probably best known for foiling an incident of potential violence at his Florida school.

Lin-J was born Oct. 22, 1981. As a young man, He played college football at Jacksonville University. Later he became a professional football player, occupying the position of defensive back. He played in both the American and the Canadian Football League from 2004 to 2015. Teams he played for include the Philadelphia Eagles, the New Orleans VooDoo, the Calgary Stampeders, the Toronto Argonauts, the BC Lions, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. For his athletic prowess, Lin-J was named an East All-Star for the Canadian Football League in 2010 and 2011. He also garnered a Grey Cup in 2014.

After he concluded his career as a pro-ball player, Lin-J accepted a position as a physical education teacher and Assistant Football Coach at Jean Ribault High School in Jacksonville, Florida. He was promoted to interim Head Football Coach at the school just days before the start of the 2019 season, he coached the team to a 4-5 record that year.

On May 9, 2018, while Lin-J was working at Ribault High as the Assistant Football Coach, that he became a hero there. He helped to prevent a woman from using a handgun in the school gymnasium when a brawl broke out. The fight was triggered when the woman became angry about a social media post involving her nephew, who happened to be one of Lin-J’s students. The woman went to the gym with four men. “She got out of the car, she was irate, basically saying she wasn’t going to let anyone jump on her family,” recalled Lin-J. When the teacher noticed that she was holding a gun, he went straight for the firearm. “I came from behind her, I saw she had a gun, I grabbed her hand, put her hand down and hit her elbow,” he continued. Then Lin-J walked the woman backwards out of the gym, holding her arm so that the gun was pointed toward the floor. All the while, he pleaded with her, “Please don’t shoot our kids.” Once he had forced the woman outside, he shouted for help from an armed officer at the school. The officer forced the woman to drop the gun and arrested her. (To read more about the incident, see this onlline article from Bell Media.)

Sadly, this Chalkboard Hero passed away from a stroke in Florida on July 29, 2021. He was only 39 years old. He also tested positive for Covid during the pandemic.