CIS of Atlanta Honors Black History Trailblazers in Education

Anna J. Cooper (August 10, 1858 – February 27, 1964) was one of the most prominent African-American scholars in U.S. history.

Born into slavery in 1858, Cooper triumphed against the odds of gender and race to receive a world-class education, ultimately earning her Ph.D. in history from the Sorbonne University in Paris in 1924. That accomplishment made Cooper the fourth African-American woman to earn a doctoral degree.

Cooper, who made contributions to social science fields, particularly in sociology, is sometimes called "the mother of Black Feminism."