Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Civil Rights activist Fannie Richards first Black teacher in Detroit

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Civil Rights activist Fannie Richards of Detroit, Michigan, is recognized as the first African American school teacher in her city. Photo credit: Black Then

Throughout our country, many excellent educators logged “firsts” in their community. One of these was Fannie Richards. She is recognized as the first African American school teacher in Detroit, Michigan.

Fannie was born on Oct. 1, 1840, in Fredericksburg, Virginia, the child of free persons of color. When she was just a child, her family moved to Toronto, Canada. She enrolled in Canadian public schools, and once she graduated, she continued her studies at Toronto Normal School and then in Germany, where she worked with education expert Wilhelm Frobel as he developed the innovative new concept of kindergartens.

Once she returned to the United States, Fannie landed in Detroit. Because of her exceptional scholastic record, she was able to secure a position as a teacher in Detroit city schools. But in 1863 Fannie decided to strike out on her own. She opened a private school for African American children, which she operated for five years. In 1868, she returned to public schools when she was hired to teach in Colored School No. 2.

Under the leadership of John Bagley in 1870, Fannie and members of her family protested vehemently against Detroit’s segregated school system. The effort yielded the desired results when, in 1871, the Michigan State Supreme Court ordered the Detroit Board of Education to abolish separate schools for White and African American children. That same year, Fannie was transferred to the newly-integrated Everett Elementary School, where she established the first kindergarten in Detroit. In all, she taught at that school for 44 years.

Fannie’s activism went beyond the classroom, as she founded the Phyllis Wheatley Home for Aged Colored Ladies which was established to meet the needs of poor and elderly Black women in her community. In 1898, she became the home’s first president.

In 1915, after a career that spanned more than 50 years, Fannie retired. She passed away seven years later on Feb. 13, 1922, at the age of 81. For her work in Michigan’s schools, the Chalkboard Champion was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame.

Louise Archer taught in a segregated, rural one-room schoolhouse

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North Carolina teacher Louise Archer taught core academic subjects and life skills in a segregated rural one-room schoolhouse. Photo Credit: Louise Archer Elementary School

Our nation’s students are indeed fortunate to have so many dedicated and hardworking educators teaching in our public schools. One of these was Louise Archer, an elementary school teacher from North Carolina.

Louise was born on Oct. 23, 1893, in Fayetteville, North Carolina. As a young woman, she attended Livingston College, a historically Black Christian college located in Salisbury, North Carolina. She married Romulus Archer, Jr., in 1915. The couple relocated to Washington, DC, in 1922, and Louise continued her education at Morgan State College, a historically Black college in nearby Baltimore, Maryland. There she earned her Bachelor’s degree.

Louise inaugurated her career as an educator at the Oak Grove School in Southampton, Virginia, in a one-room schoolhouse for African American children. She taught there two years. In 1924, she became both the teacher and the principal for another one-room segregated school, the Vienna Colored School, located in Vienna, Virginia. The camped, unheated facility was the first in Fairfax County to educate African American students in fifth through seventh grades. For many, this was the only education they would receive.

The first boys who were the first to arrive at the rural school each morning chopped wood for the fire to keep the schoolhouse warm. Students brought water each day from a nearby spring and stored it in buckets in one corner of the classroom. Louise taught her students using tattered, secondhand textbooks, but she supplemented these with lessons in music and poetry. In addition, she taught her students life skills such as cooking, sewing, embroidery, cabinet-making, and rug-hooking.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Louise established a 4-H Club for African Americans in Fairfax County. Through this club, her students planted a garden and raised vegetables to add to a soup that was cooked each day on a potbelly stove.

By all accounts Louise was devoted to her young charges. For example, if they needed help getting to school, she drove them to the schoolhouse herself. She invited students to her home in Washington, DC, so they could experience a big city, and she let students use her home address when they enrolled in a DC high school so they could continue their education without paying expensive tuition fees.

Later in her career, Louise organized a Parent Teacher Association to raise money to buy much-needed classroom supplies. The group also raised money to construct a new schoolhouse, this one with three rooms, which opened in 1939. In 1941, she spearheaded fundraising efforts to pay for electric lighting, a music teacher, kitchen supplies, and bus transportation for the students.

Sadly, Louise suffered a heart attack and passed on April 1, 1948. In 1950, her school was renamed the Louise Archer Elementary School in her honor.

Florida science teacher Jacqueline Lawrence recognized as “exceptional educator”

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Elementary science teacher Jacqueline Lawrence of Orlando, Florida, is one of 22 educators who have been recognized by Orlando Family Magazine as an “exceptional educator.” Photo credit: Orlando Family Magazine

There are many outstanding educators teaching in public classrooms in Florida public schools. One of them is Jacqueline Lawrence, an elementary school science teacher from Orlando. She is one of 22 educators who have been recognized in a 2025 article published in Orlando Family Magazine as an “exceptional educator.” In addition, she was a 2025 finalist for a Teacher of the Year Award in the Orange County Public Schools’ Stellar Awards program.

Jacqueline teaches fifth graders at Rock Lake Elementary School. Her career as an educator spans 12 years. In her classroom, Jacqueline is known for her innovative teaching practices, including using Kagan Mind Mapping strategies, and she has a reputation for designing engaging hands-on labs. And her students have really responded to her efforts. In fact, her instructional strategies are so successful that she has achieved a remarkable 67% pass rate on a state science assessment in a classroom full of students who previously were struggling.

“I learned from a tender age that education is the key,” Jacqueline says. “Once you get education it takes you anywhere. And that’s what I believe in, and I try to install that in my students,” she continues.

In addition to her work as a science teacher, Jacqueline founded the Rock Lake Girls Running Club, a campus debate team, and a dance group. She also launched her school’s first yearbook publication. Additionally, as a mentor and a team leader, Jacqueline actively supports her colleagues, going above and beyond to ensure their success.

To read more about Jacqueline Lawrence and other Florida educators who have received recognition by the Orlando Family Magazine, click on this link to the article Exceptional Educators.

NJ educator Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele: Social Studies teacher extraordinaire

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New Jersey Social Studies teacher and community activist Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele teaches Africana Studies courses at his school. Photo credit: Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele

There are many extraordinary teachers working with young people in our nation’s public schools. One of them is Bashir Muhammad Ptah Akinyele, a Social Studies teacher from Newark, New Jersey.

Bashir teaches US History and Africana Studies at Weequahic High School in New Jersey. The population of the school’s 545 students is comprised almost entirely of African American and Latino students.

In addition to his responsibilities in the classroom, Bashir is also a community activist and an active member of ASCAC, the Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations. In fact, the respected educator was among the community activists and educators who took part in this year’s Amistad Commission’s Summer Institute, which was held at Stockton University’s campus in Atlantic City this past August.

One of the primary objectives of the summer institute was to improve the awareness of teachers in New Jersey schools of the state’s Amistad Law, which mandates that African and African American history be included in public school curriculums. The legislation, passed in 2002,  was the brainchild of two former New Jersey State Assembly members, William D. Payne and Craig A. Stanley.

“This law is leading the way to help abolish centuries of white supremacy ideology plaguing humanity in the classroom,” Bashir remarks. “The Amistad law cultivates the progressive and inclusive growth of our society by legally mandating the schools to teach the contributions Black people made to human civilizations in social studies classes and in subject area curricula throughout the state of New Jersey,” he continued.

To learn more about Bashir Akinyele, click on this link to a 2024 Op-Ed article he wrote that was published online by Patch.com. The title of the article is Stomping on Racist Education.

NYC elem teacher Valerie Facciola garners 2025 Big Apple Award

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New York City elementary school teacher Valerie Facciola has garnered a 2025 Big Apple Award. Photo credit: Linked In

I always enjoy sharing the story of an outstanding educator who has earned recognition for their work with students in public schools. Today, I shine a spotlight on Valerie Facciola, an elementary school teacher from New York City. She has garnered a 2025 Big Apple Award from the New York City Department of Eduction.

Valerie has worked as a professional educator for 18 the past years. Currently she teaches at PS 21, Margaret Emery School in Elm Park. In her classroom, Valerie places emphasis on developing engaging curriculum, celebrating diversity, and having fun while learning.

On her campus, Valerie helped launch a Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education (CR-SE) book club at her school. In this book club, she and her colleagues studied Cultivating Genius by Dr. Gholdy Muhammad. After studying the book, Valerie developed lesson plans, led professional development workshops for fellow educators, and presented virtually at a citywide professional development session hosted by Dr. Muhammad herself.

In addition to her work in the classroom, Valerie has contributed to her school’s overall growth through her leadership on several teams, including the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT), the Assessment Team, the CR-SE team, and the campus Professional Learning Community. In addition, she recently completed the coursework for the School Building and District Leadership program.

Valerie earned her Bachelor’s degree in French and Business Administration from St. John’s University in New York in 2001. She earned a Master’s degree in Elementary Education from Brooklyn College in 2007, and she earned a Master’s degree in Educational Administration and Leadership from the College of Saint Rose in Albany in 2023.

The Big Apple awards recognize the exemplary performance of public school teachers throughout New York City who inspire students, model great teaching, and enrich school communities. Nominees are nominated by district leaders and principals.