Anna J. Cooper

Anna J. Cooper (18581964), also known as Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, was an African American writer, scholar and activist. She was born into slavery and didn't receive a formal education until age nine. Cooper initially attended Saint Augustne's Normal School and Collegiate Institute. While studying, she worked as tutor before eventually earning a position as an instructor. Cooper later attended Oberlin College and then University of Paris-Sorbonne, where she became the fourth Black woman to receive a doctoral degree. In the midst of her teaching career, she wrote several books including her most popular work, A Voice From the South.