Honouring Anna Julia Cooper: The mother of black feminism, by Gift Luckson
Anna Julia Cooper (née Haywood; August 10, 1858 – February 27, 1964) was an African American author, educator, and activist.
Although born enslaved, Cooper pursued higher education at Oberlin College in Ohio, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in 1884 and a master’s degree in mathematics in 1887.
At the age of sixty-six, she completed her doctoral studies at the University of Paris, making her the fourth African American woman to earn a PhD. She was a well-known member of Washington, D.C.’s African-American community, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority.
Scholarly Contributions
Cooper’s scholarly contributions to sociology started with her first book, A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South, which is widely acknowledged as one of the first articulations of Black feminism and gave her the often-used title of “the Mother of Black Feminism”.
Origin
Anna “Annie” Julia Haywood was born enslaved in Raleigh, North Carolina, in 1858. She and her mother, Hannah Stanley Haywood, were enslaved by George Washington Haywood, one of the sons of North Carolina’s longest-serving state Treasurer John Haywood, who helped found the University of North Carolina.
Either George, who enslaved her mother, or his brother, Dr Fabius Haywood, who enslaved her older brothers, Rufus and Andrew, was probably Anna’s father; Anna’s mother refused to clarify paternity. George became state attorney for Wake County, North Carolina, and together with a brother owned a plantation in Greene County, Alabama.
Cooper worked as a domestic servant in the Haywood home and had the two aforementioned older brothers. Andrew, enslaved by Fabius J. Haywood, later served in the Spanish–American War. Rufus was also born enslaved and became the leader of the musical group Stanley’s Band.
Life as an Author
During her years as a teacher and principal at M Street High School, Cooper also completed her first book, titled A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South, published in 1892, and delivered many speeches calling for civil rights and women’s rights.
The book is widely viewed as one of the first articulations of black feminism and advanced a vision of self-determination through education and social uplift for African-American women. Its central thesis was that black women’s educational, moral, and spiritual progress would improve the general standing of the African-American community.
She says that men’s violent natures often counter the goals of higher education, so it is essential to foster more female intellectuals because they will bring more elegance to education.
This view was criticised by some as submissive to the 19th-century cult of true womanhood, but others label it as one of the most important arguments for Black feminism in the 19th century.
Cooper advanced the view that educated and successful black women must support their underprivileged peers in achieving their goals. The essays in A Voice from the South also touched other topics such as the socioeconomic realities of Black families and the administration of the Episcopal Church.
Widespread Approval
A Voice from the South received significant praise from leaders in the black community. It was widely praised within the Black community and among intellectuals for its pioneering ideas on race, gender, and education.
Death
On February 27, 1964, Cooper died in Washington, D.C., at the age of 105 from a heart attack. Her memorial was held in a chapel on the campus of Saint Augustine’s College, in Raleigh, North Carolina, where her academic career began. She was buried alongside her husband at the City Cemetery in Raleigh.
Cooper’s work was foundational for Black feminist thought and anticipated later concepts of intersectionality, as her writings underscored the interconnected struggles faced by Black women. Scholars today recognise her influence on both feminist and civil rights movements.
Her book A Voice from the South remains a seminal work in Black feminist theory and is widely cited in courses on sociology, history, and gender studies, solidifying her position as a foundational thinker.
Legacy
In 2009, a tuition-free private middle school was opened and named in her honour, the Anna Julia Cooper Episcopal School on historic Church Hill in Richmond, Virginia.
The Anna Julia Cooper Centre on Gender, Race, and Politics in the South at Wake Forest University was established in Anna Cooper’s honour. Melissa Harris-Perry is the founding director.
There is an Anna Julia Cooper Professor of Women’s Studies at Spelman College.
Anna Julia Cooper is the only African American woman to be quoted in the U.S. Passport. Pages 24 and 25 of the 2016 United States passport contain the following quotation: “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.” – Anna Julia Cooper.
In 2009, the United States Postal Service released a commemorative stamp in Cooper’s honour. The 44-cent First-Class commemorative stamp of Anna Julia Cooper showcases a portrait painted by Kadir Nelson from San Diego, CA, which he created based on an undated photograph of Cooper.
