Teachers very often devote considerable talent and energy towards advancing social causes. One teacher in American history who did this is Martha Forrester, a classroom teacher and early Civil Rights activist.

The Civil War was in full swing in 1863 when Martha Forrester was born in Richmond, Virginia. When she grew up, she worked for several years as a public school teacher in Richmond.

Martha married Robert Forrester as a young woman, and after her husband passed away, she moved to Farmville, Virginia, to live with her daughter. There Martha was one of five founding members of retired educators who established the Council of Colored Women in 1920. She served as the president of that organization for over 30 years, endeavoring to better educational opportunities for African American students in Prince Edward County. “She felt the need that she wanted to improve the lives, you know, of African American children here in the form of education,” commented Beatrice White, a descendant of Martha Forrester. Martha was able to accomplish many improvements for the students she cared so much about, including  extending the school year and increasing access to higher-level classes. The Council also conducted tutoring, offered counseling, and organized blood mobiles to serve their community.

The former classroom teacher was also instrumental in founding the county’s first high school for African American students. Under her leadership, the Council raised $300,000 to buy a building and establish Robert Russa Moton High School, named in honor of a local educator. When the doors of the school opened in 1939, 450 students showed up for classes, although the facility was built for only 150. The school has since been turned into a museum.

This amazing Chalkboard Champion passed away in 1951. Her Farmville home was designated a historic site by the Virginia Department of Historic Resources in March, 2017. Read more about Martha Forrester in this article published by the Farmville Herald.

Edna Burke Jackson, an educator and activist from Washington, DC, was the first Black woman to teach at the prestigious all-white Woodrow Wilson High School in her home city. Photo credit: The Washington Post

Many talented classroom teaches have also worked diligently to promote the interests of African Americans in our country. One of these was Edna Burke Jackson, an educator and activist from Washington, DC. She was the first Black woman to teach at the prestigious all-white Woodrow Wilson High School in her home city.

Edna was born Jan. 25, 1911, in Washington, DC. As a young woman, she attended Dunbar High School, a school for African American students. She graduated in 1928, valedictorian of her class. She then enrolled on a scholarship at Howard University, where she studied Romance languages, especially French, and social studies. There she earned first her Bachelor’s degree, and then her Master’s degree. Later she completed graduate courses at Howard University, Cornell, and Catholic University.

In 1934, Edna relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she accepted a position as a teacher at Booker T. Washington High School. In the six years she taught there, she founded the school’s Language Department and became the Department Chair. In 1940, the veteran educator returned to Washington, DC, where she was hired to teach at Cardozo High School. She worked there until 1954.

In 1954, Edna and colleague Archie Lucas, a chemistry teacher, were hired as the first African American teachers hired to work at the prestigious, all-white Woodrow Wilson High School. The pair were hired even though Wilson High remained segregated, unlike six other public high schools in the city of DC. As one of the only two Black educators on the staff, Edna faced scathing racism from her White colleagues. In 1955, Wilson High finally integrated. At Wilson, Edna taught European and World History.

Edna taught at the school for more than 20 years, until her retirement in 1976. During those years, she advocated for increased enrollment of African American students, and for the inclusion of courses in Black Studies to the curriculum.

In addition to her talents in the classroom, this amazing Chalkboard Champion was also an excellent writer. During the 1930’s, she authored a weekly column in the Oklahoma Eagle, a prominent African American newspaper in Tulsa. From 1959 to 1970, she wrote book reviews for the Journal of Negro History in Washington, DC.

Edna Burke Jackson passed away on Feb. 21, 2004. She was 93 years old. To read more about her, see the obituary published by the Washington Post.

South Carolina’s Mamie Garvin Fields was a true Chalkboard Champion and indefatigable community activist. Photo credit: Blackthen.com

Many talented educators also become well-known for their community service and activism. One of these is Mamie Garvin Fields, a teacher and principal from Charleston, South Carolina.

Mamie was born on August 13, 1888, in Charleston. As a young girl, she attended Miss Anna Eliza Izzard’s School, the public Shaw School, and then Claflin College. At Claflin, she completed her high school education, earned her degree in Domestic Science, and completed the requirements for her teaching license.

Mamie inaugurated her career as a teacher in 1908 at Pine Wood School, which served primarily African American students in those days. The following year, she became one of the first African American teachers to be hired to work in public schools in Charleston County. Later she became the principal of Miller High School on Johns Island, a position she served for two years.

Mamie left the classroom to marry and raise a family, but she returned to the classroom in 1926. She accepted a teaching position at the Society Corner School,. She taught there until her retirement in 1943.

In addition to her responsibilities in the classroom, Mamie was active as a member of the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, Inc. (NACWC) and the Charleston Federation of Colored Women’s Club. In addition, she in 1927 co-founded the Modern Priscilla Club of Charleston. Once she retired, the indefatigable educator volunteered in many local civid organizations and women’s clubs. She joined the National Association of Colored Women’s Club, served as President of the South Carolina Federation of Colored Women’s Club from 1958 through 1964, and as the Superintendent of the Marion Birnie Wilkinson Home for Girls located in Cayce, South Carolina from 1960 to 1963.

As if all this were not enough, she wrote her memoir, which she entitled Lemon Swamp and Other Places. The volume, published in 1983, covered her life and work in South Carolina from 1888 until her passing.

For her work as an educator and activist, Mamie earned many accolades. She was named the state’s Outstanding Oder Citizen from the South Carolina Commission on Aging.

Mamie passed away on July 30, 1987, in her home town of Charleston, South Carolina. She was 99 years old. To read more about this remarkable Chalkboard Champion, see the entry about her published in the South Carolina Encyclopedia.

Maria Fearing: The intrepid teacher and missionary, born into slavery, who traveled to the Congo to teach at a home for girls. Photo credit: Alabama Department of Archives and History.

There are many stories of dedicated educators who can boast of extraordinary accomplishments. One of these is Maria Fearing, an African American teacher and missionary who was born into slavery but went on to become a beloved teacher in the Congo.

Maria was born on July 26, 1938, on a plantation near Gainesville, Sumter County, Alabama. As a youngster, she was employed as a house servant, spending much of her time with her mistress and the other children. Maria completed the ninth grade, but didn’t really learn to read and write until she was 33 years old.

When the Civil War was won, Maria worked her way through the Freedman’s Bureau School in Talladega, Alabama, to become a teacher. This school is now known as Talladega College. The neophyte educator taught for a number of years in rural schools in Calhoun County in Alabama. But in 1894, at age 56, Maria was inspired to travel to the Congo on the African continent, where for more than 20 years she worked tirelessly as a teacher and Presbyterian missionary. While there, Maria established the Pantops Home for Girls in 1915. Pantops took in girls who had been orphaned and those who had been kidnapped and sold into slavery. The intrepid teacher used trinkets, tools, and even salt to barter for the freedom of these girls. She taught reading, writing, arithmetic, homemaking skills, and gardening in the mission day school, and she worked with the women of the surrounding villages. Her appreciative students nicknamed her “mama wa mputu” (“Mother from Far Away”).

At the age of 78, because of failing health, Maria was encouraged to retire. In 1918, the Southern Presbyterian Church recognized her many years of dedication and hard work by honoring her with the Loving Cup. Maria wasn’t ready to quit working, though. After returning to her native Alabama, she continued to teach, working at a church school in Selma, Alabama. She later returned to Sumter County, where she passed away on May 23, 1937. She was 100 years old.

Maria Fearing, a true Chalkboard Champion, was inducted into the Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame in 2000. You can read more about this amazing teacher at Alabama Women’s Hall of Fame.