Anna Julia Haywood Cooper

Anna Julia Haywood Cooper was perhaps one of the most important figures during her time, pushing for intersectional racial and gender equality, as well as education for all. Cooper was born into slavery on August 10, 1858, in Raleigh, North Carolina, and at age nine, she began her education at Saint Augustine’s Normal School and Collegiate Institute after receiving a scholarship. She spent 14 years there and was known as an extremely intelligent, well-rounded student who challenged herself in varying subjects. Saint Augustine’s had a “Ladies’ Course” reserved specifically for women, and they were not encouraged to take higher-level courses. Nevertheless, Cooper pushed for her right to enroll in all-male courses by demonstrating her intellectual and scholastic abilities. In 1879, Cooper began her education at Oberlin College in Ohio and graduated with a degree in mathematics in 1884, making her the first African-American woman to graduate from the school. Afterward, Cooper returned to Raleigh, North Carolina, to teach math, Greek, and Latin at St. Augustine’s. She was later invited to teach math and science at what is now known as Dunbar High School in Washington D.C., which was the largest and most prestigious school for African American students in the nation. 

On top of her teaching jobs, Anna Cooper was an author as well. In 1892, she published “A Voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South,” a collection of essays and speeches that was also the first book-length volume of Black feminist analysis in the United States. The book touched on many subjects, including race relations, poverty, and gender inequality, placing emphasis on the unique standpoint Black women have while observing society and its oppressive systems. Cooper’s intersectional approach highlighted these ideas further, and the book also included a philosophical standpoint, incorporating critical race theory and philosophy, feminist philosophy, and standpoint theory.

 By the late 19th century, Anna J. Cooper, alongside other Black women, was creating clubs and associations across the nation that were determined to help and improve the well-being of the African-American community. Cooper helped in the founding of multiple local organizations in Washington, D.C., as well and used public speaking to educate on her cause. She was one of the two African-American women to address the first Pan-African Conference in London in 1900. Continuing in teaching and later becoming the principal of M Street High School to help prepare students for the Ivy League, Cooper studied French and history and then enrolled as a doctoral student at Columbia University in 1914 while remaining a teacher. She then transferred to the University of Paris, Sorbonne, and became the fourth African-American in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D., as well as the first black woman from any country to earn a Ph.D. at the Sorbonne. 

Even after Cooper retired, she continued to write, publish, and give lectures until she died on February 27, 1964. Other works by Anna Julia Cooper include “Slavery and the French and Haitian Revolutionists: L’attitude de la France a l’egarde de l’esclavage pendant la révolution.” published in 1925 and “The Third Step” published in 1945, all showcasing her passion for education, activism, and equality. Anna Julia Cooper truly started the introduction of intersectionality and the importance of considering all factors of oppression when trying to fix it. She advocated for education and taught so many people who otherwise would not have had the opportunity to go to school. Cooper is not given enough credit for the change that she brought to our world. You can find out more about Anna Julia Cooper at the Anna Julia Cooper school website, and you can learn more about her written works in the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.