Everyone deserves an education. However, throughout history, many Black students across America endured numerous obstacles — from segregated classrooms with little to no resources to racial discrimination from the education system. 

Despite this, Black educators stood firmly and became advocates for their students, championing for equal access to education. 

As we celebrate Black History Month, we are highlighting 4 groundbreaking Black leaders who contributed to reshaping the educational system and history. These teachers defied the odds and paved the way for future Black graduates and educators alike. Today, we honor them.

Charles L. Reason entered rooms that society once believed he could never enter. Raised by Haitian immigrants who moved to the US after the Haitian Revolution, Reason understood from an early age that having an education was key to being successful. Throughout his childhood, he developed a love and knack for mathematics. 

At just 14 years old, the math prodigy would become an educator at the New York African Free School. He would use his teaching salary to continue his studies, learning Greek and Latin and refining his French. In 1849, Reason became a professor at the Free Mission College in Cortland County, NY, making him the first African American to teach at a predominantly white college. 

Within his first year of teaching at the Free Mission College, two more Black men were appointed as professors. This was pivotal considering this came at a time when there weren’t many African Americans attending or being hired to work at colleges. 

After several years of working at the Free Mission College, Reason became a principal at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania — one of the most prestigious schools for African Americans in the nation. During his tenure, he increased student enrollment and connected his students with respected Black leaders in the community. 

Following his extensive teaching career, Reason pivoted to championing for racial integration and equality. Through his contributions, he was revered as one of the leading voices for education and Black liberation. 

Kelly Miller was a many of many firsts. He was raised by both parents, a Confederate soldier and a formerly enslaved mother in South Carolina. Following the Civil War, Miller attended grammar school where he was noticed for his advanced knowledge in mathematics. In 1882, he received a scholarship to Howard University where he studied Greek, Latin, sociology, and math. In 1886, he earned his bachelor’s degree and became a clerk for the U.S. Pension Office. 

While he worked there, Miller continued to pursue a higher education, studying advanced mathematics. One of his professors previously attended John Hopkins University. Impressed by Miller’s aptitude for math, the professor recommended Miller for admission to John Hopkins University. Miller was accepted, making him the first Black man to study at the institute. 

Although Miller enjoyed his time at the institute, the tuition was far too expensive, so he returned to his alma mater to teach.

He became the first person at Howard University to teach sociology. During his tenure, he was promoted to dean of Howard University's College of Arts and Sciences. He used his platform to recruit more Black students and modernize the college’s curriculum to include natural and social sciences. Within his first few years at Howard, he tripled undergraduate enrollment. 

Miller believed that education was the pathway to freedom, and he continued to advocate for Black students and higher education until he retired from Howard University in 1931. 
 

Mary McLeod Bethune set the foundation for higher education in the United States as one of the most prominent Black educators and civil rights leaders in the 20th century. Bethune, the daughter of formerly enslaved parents, built her career and legacy from the ground up. Out of her 16 siblings, she was the only child who attended school. She would walk several miles to school every day and share everything she learned with her family. 

Bethune worked hard to become an educator, teaching at multiple schools in the South. Inspired to build a schoolhouse of her own, she reached out to people from both African American and white communities for financial support. 

In 1904, she founded The Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls. At first, only five Black students enrolled in the school, but over the next decade, Bethune would help grow the school to more than 250 Black students. 

The Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Negro Girls eventually merged with the Cookman College in Daytona Beach and became known as the Bethune-Cookman College. Here, African American students were able to pursue a higher degree. 

Bethune’s contributions to the education system didn’t stop there. She knew there was more work to be done on a national level. She worked alongside Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover, respectively, to improve child welfare and health in the US. In 1935, Bethune became a special advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt for minority affairs. The following year, Roosevelt named her director of the Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration — which was the highest government ranking for an African American woman in history. She would 
continue to advocate for education in the African American community until her passing in 1955. 

Still, nearly 70 years later, her impact is felt.

Everyone deserves an education — no matter where you come from. Marva Collins stood by that principle. Raised in Alabama during segregation, Collins’ resources to obtain an education were very limited. Despite this, Collins’ father instilled the importance of education and excellence in his children. 

Collins majored in secretarial studies at the Clark College of Atlanta. Unfortunately, she never became a secretary due to racial discrimination. She returned to Alabama where she taught at a local school. During this time, she learned how to type, bookkeep, and understand business law. This, along with her father’s words, prepared her to become a substitute teacher in Chicago in 1961. 

At the time, the public school system in Chicago was underfunded, understaffed, and underestimated. The public school population consisted primarily of Black students from low-income families. Displeased by the mistreatment of Black students in the system, Collins decided to take things into her own hands. In 1975, she took out $5,000 from her retirement funds to establish the Westside Preparatory School. 

Initially, she enrolled four students whom the public school system claimed to have learning disabilities. She taught her students how to read and analyze classic works of literature, memorize information, and tap into their critical thinking skills. Within the first year, her students exceeded everyone’s expectations, garnering national recognition. 

Throughout the rest of her career, she won numerous awards and continued to help Westside Preparatory School. She defied the odds and proved that everyone is teachable. 

These leaders paved the way for Black students and educators alike. History can continue to be made in the classroom today. Black teachers have a meaningful impact on Black students in their academic and personal lives. 

Black students who are introduced to a Black educator before the 3rd grade are 13% more likely to graduate from college. Those who had two Black teachers were 32% more likely to graduate from college. Long story short, students need more Black teachers in the classroom. 

You can be that change.

References

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/mary-mcleod-bethune 
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Mary-McLeod-Bethune 
https://www.biography.com/activists/mary-mcleod-bethune 
https://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/29/us/marva-collins-78-no-nonsense-educator-and-activist-dies.html 

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marva-Collins  
https://www.neh.gov/about/awards/national-humanities-medals/marva-collins 
https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/collins-marva-1936/ 
https://www.learningforjustice.org/magazine/the-genius-of-marva-collins 

https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/reason-charles-lewis-1818-1893/ 
https://coloredconventions.org/women-higher-education/biographies/charles-lewis-reason/ 
https://www.haiti.org/dt_team/charles-l-reason/ 

http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/special/miller_kelley.html 
https://www.loc.gov/collections/african-american-perspectives-rare-books/articles-and-essays/daniel-murray-a-collectors-legacy/kelly-miller/ 
https://www.biography.com/scholars-educators/kelly-miller