Tag Archives: African American Teachers

Anna Julia Cooper: Teacher, abolitionist, activist, and suffragist

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Teacher, abolitionist, activist, and suffragist  Anna Julia Cooper, born into slavery, was one of the first African American women to earn a Ph.D.  Photo credit: www.blackpast.com.

There are many talented educators who have dedicated themselves to social causes. One of these was Anna Julia Cooper, an African American teacher who was also an abolitionist, activist, and suffragist.

Anna was born into slavery in Raleigh, North Carolina, circa 1858. As a young child, she developed an intense love of learning, even though teaching literacy skills to African Americans were forbidden until after the Civil War. Because of her love of learning, Anna decided to become a teacher. In 1868, when she was only nine years old, Anna garnered a scholarship to St. Augustine’s Normal School and Collegiate Institute. The school, now known as St. Augustine’s College, was founded by the local Episcopal Diocese to train teachers to educate former slaves and their families. During her years at St. Augustine’s, Anna earned a reputation as a bright and ambitious student.

In 1879, Anna enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio. There she earned her degree in Mathematics in 1884. She was one of the first African American women to earn a degree at the school. After her graduation, Anna returned to Raleigh where she taught math, Greek, and Latin at St. Augustine’s. In 1887, she moved  to Washington, DC, to teach math and science at the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth. Later the school was known as the M Street School, and today the institution is called Dunbar High School. The school is the largest and most prestigious public high school for African Americans in the country. During the years she taught at the M Street School, Anna delivered many speeches calling for civil rights and women’s rights and she published A Voice from the South, a well-known book on the subject.

A lifelong learner, Anna studied French literature and history for several years before enrolling at Columbia University in 1914. There she pursued her Ph.D. At the time, she was also teaching full time. In 1924, Anna continued her studies at the University of Paris at the Sorbonne in France. In 1925 she successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, which explored the attitudes of the French people toward slavery during the late 18th century in France and Haiti. With this accomplishment, she was only the fourth African American woman in the US to earn a doctorate and the first Black woman from any country to do so at the Sorbonne.

To learn more about this amazing educator, click on this link for Rutgers.

Karl Kimmons taught 22 years after retiring from the US Navy

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Retired from the US Navy after 30 years of service, Karl Kimmons went on to teach high school for 22 years. Photo credit: Legacy.com.

Many dedicated educators served in the US military prior to their service in the classroom. One of these was Karl Kimmons, a high school social studies teacher who had already retired from the United States Navy.

Karl was born in Hamilton, Ohio, on April 10, 1920, the great-grandson of a Mississippi slave and a slave owner. Karl was raised in a poor family in an integrated neighborhood just a short distance from segregated Kentucky.

In 1940, Karl enlisted in the US Navy, where he served during World War II, the Korean Conflict, and the Viet Nam War. When he entered the service, the military was segregated. He was the first person who enlisted as a mess attendant, and then served in every enlisted pay grade and ended his career as a commissioned officer. When he retired from the Navy in 1970, he had attained the rank of full lieutenant and had earned numerous awards and medals. In all, his career in the military spanned 30 years.

Once he retired from the Navy, Karl attended Connecticut College where he earned a Bachelor’s degree, magnum cum laude. He was 53 years old at the time! Then he earned his Master’s degree from the University of Connecticut, and his teaching credential from Southern Connecticut State University.

Once he completed his education, Karl accepted a position as a social studies teacher in Waterford Public Schools, where he taught at Waterford Junior High snd Waterford High School for 22 years. “I was a tough teacher too, I guess because of my military back- ground,” Karl once remarked. “In study halls I told them ‘Either study or fake it!’ But many of my old students thank me now and say I really taught them how to study,” he remembered.

This Chalkboard Hero passed away on August 4, 2016, at the age of 96. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia.

Veteran and educator Darren Rainey is devoted to students

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US  veteran and educator Darren Rainey taught high school Language Arts in Delaware after he left the military. He continues to make his mark on the field of education. Photo credit: Teach for America

There are many fine educators who came to the classroom after serving our country in the military. One of these is Darren Rainey, a Language Arts teacher and Athletic Director in Wilmington, Delaware.

Darren deployed with the 4th Squadron, 9th US Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division to Afghanistan in 2013 and to the Republic of Korea in 2015. “I learned some of my toughest leadership lessons through deployments, rotations, and training exercises in this unit,” says Darren. “It was here where I learned the importance of leading through relationships and respecting an individual’s unique experiences.”

When Darren concluded his military career In 2017, he decided to become an educator. He served as the Athletic Director Director and taught Language Arts at the 8th, 9th, and 11th grade level at Freire Charter School in Wilmington, Delaware. “In the classroom, nothing is more rewarding than when a student has that ‘ah-ha’ moment during a lesson or when a kid who is usually quiet has that breakout moment in a class discussion,” asserts Darren.

Currently, Darren serves as the Director of Curriculum and Instruction. He also works as an Adjunct Professor on the Delaware campus of  the Relay Graduate School of Education. In addition, he serves as an Impact Leader with Profound Gentlemen, Inc., an organization that builds communities of male educators of color who provide a profound additional impact on the communities they serve.

Darren was born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Hampton University for his undergraduate studies and earned his Master of Arts in Teaching from Relay Graduate School of Education.

To learn more about Darren, click on this link to an article he wrote published by Teach for America.

 

NJ’s Carole Graves: Teacher, labor leader, and politician

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Retired Special Education teacher, labor leader, and politician Carole Graves of New Jersey labored during the Civil Rights Movement to improve working conditions for her fellow teachers. Photo credit: Ballotpedia.

There are many fine educators in our country who have labored diligently to improve the lives of others, not only the lives of their students, but also the working conditions of their colleagues. One of these is Carole Graves, a New Jersey teacher who also made great improvements for Newark public school teachers.

Carole was born on April 15, 1938, in Newark, Essex County, New Jersey. After her graduation from Arts High School in her home town, she enrolled at Newark State Teachers College, where she earned her degree in 1960. After college, Carole, accepted a position as a special education teacher at the Dayton Street School in Newark.  Later she earned a certificate in Labor and Management Relations from New Brunswick.

In 1971, Carole gained national recognition when she led the Newark teachers in a highly controversial strike that lasted 13 weeks. During the job action, over 200 teachers were jailed, and Carole herself served six months in the Essex County Jail. Her sacrifice was not in vain. The contract settlement that resulted in her efforts contained unprecedented contract gains, recognition of teachers’ rights, and improved working conditions for teachers, aides, and clerks in the Newark Public Schools. Carole went on to serve as the full-time President of the Newark Teachers Union, a position she held for 27 years.

Once she completed her work for the teachers’ union, Carole was elected on the Democratic ticket to serve as the Essex County Registrar of Deeds and Mortgages. She held this position for three terms, from 1995 to 2010. For a time she also served as a commissioner on the New Jersey Public Employment Relations Commission (PERC) and an adjunct professor of Labor Relations at Essex County College and Rutgers Institute of Labor and Management Relations.

Now 83 years old, this Chalkboard Champion currently lives in Newark.

Covid-19 claims life of South Carolina teacher Jackqueline Lowery

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Sadly, we report that middle school science teacher Jackqueline Lowery of Darlington, South Carolina, succumbed to Covid-19 on Sept. 18, 2021. Photo credit: Mitchell-Josey Funeral Home.

With great sadness we report that Covid-19 has claimed the life of yet another beloved educator. Jacqueline Lowery, a middle school teacher from Darlington, South Carolina, succumbed to the disease on Sept. 18, 2021. She was just 28 years old.

The fallen educator was a graduate of Mayo High School for Math, Science, and Technology, where she graduated in 2011. While a student there, Jackqueline was a member of the Beta Club and the National Honor’s Society. In addition, she graduated Magna Cum Laude and was awarded the prestigious Heart of The Phoenix Award.

After her high school graduation, Jackqueline continued her studies at Francis Marion University. While there, she participated in several organizations. She was elected Vice President of the Student Government Association, the President of the Senate, the Vice President of the National Pan Hellenic Council, the Treasurer of The Award Winning Francis Marion YGB Gospel Choir, and the Chaplain and Treasurer of the Esteemed Xi Omicron Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. In May 2016, Jackqueline completed the requirements for her Bachelor’s degree in Biology with minors in Chemistry and Literature. She was also working on her Master’d degree in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Phoenix at the time of her passing.

Once she completed her education, Jackqueline inaugurated her career as a teacher at Darlington Middle School in Darlington County School District. She taught science to seventh graders and also served her school as the Head Volleyball Coach. According to those who knew her, Jackqueline had a passion for each and every student that she encountered, and she believed that every life mattered.

Jackqueline had declined to get a vaccination because she was breast-feeding her nine-month-old son and was unsure how the vaccination would affect her child.