Charlotte Hawkins Brown

Charlotte Hawkins Brown was an educator, author, and civic leader who played a significant role in advancing African American education in the early 20th-century American South.

Brown was born on June 11, 1883, in Henderson, North Carolina, and raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. She attended the State Normal School at Salem, Massachusetts (now Salem State University), where she trained as a teacher. In 1902, she returned to North Carolina and founded the Palmer Memorial Institute, a preparatory school for African American students. Under her leadership, the institute became known for its academic standards, emphasis on cultural refinement, and focus on civic responsibility.

Brown was the first Black woman to establish and lead a school in North Carolina. She was also active in civic and political organizations, including the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs and the Southern Commission for Interracial Cooperation. Throughout her career, she advocated for racial uplift, women's leadership, and educational equity during the Jim Crow era.

Brown died on January 11, 1961, leaving behind a legacy of leadership in education and civil rights.