Dr. Anna Julia Cooper (1858-1964) was a pioneering African American author, educator, and activist, born into slavery, who became a leading voice for Black women’s rights, arguing that the uplift of Black women was essential for racial uplift, famously articulated in her 1892 book A Voice from the South, and was the fourth African American woman to earn a Ph.D., graduating from the University of Paris-Sorbonne. Her extensive career spanned education, civil rights advocacy, and community leadership, challenging societal limitations for Black women throughout the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Anna Julia Cooper’s work remains a guiding light for many. Her work has been celebrated in many forms, such as within the U.S. passport where her quote – “The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class – it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity.”
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