Anna Julia Cooper
modernBlack Feminist Philosophy, Pragmatism1858 – 1964
Anna Julia Cooper (1858–1964) was an African American scholar, educator, and social activist whose philosophical work centered on the intersections of race, gender, and education. Her 1892 collection A Voice from the South remains a landmark text in Black feminist thought, articulating a vision of liberation that insisted on the full intellectual and civic inclusion of Black women. She earned her doctorate from the Sorbonne at age 67, making her one of the first African American women to hold a PhD.
Notable Achievements
1
Authored A Voice from the South (1892), a foundational text of Black feminist philosophy
2
Earned a PhD from the Université de Paris–Sorbonne (1925), among the first African American women to do so
3
Developed an early intersectional framework linking racial and gender oppression decades before the term existed
4
Served as principal of M Street High School in Washington D.C., championing rigorous academic education for Black students
5
Founded and led Frelinghuysen University, providing higher education for working Black adults in D.C.