Charlotte Hawkins Brown
Encyclopedia
Charlotte Hawkins Brown (June 11, 1883 - January 11, 1961) was an American educator and academic.
Born Lottie Hawkins in Henderson, North Carolina
, in the late 1880s her family moved north to settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts
. An exceptional student in a very white world, during her senior year of high school, Alice Freeman Palmer, a former Wellesley College president, provided financial support to enable her to further her education at the State Normal School
in Salem
.
In 1901 Charlotte Hawkins accepted a teaching position in a one-room school in the rural community of Sedalia, North Carolina
. In 1911 she married fellow teacher Edward S. Brown, but the marriage did not last.
Her dedication to educating young African Americans led to the tiny school evolving to become an accredited school and junior college
, renamed the Palmer Memorial Institute
in honor of her benefactor. In 1915, the prominent Boston
financier
and philanthropist
Galen L. Stone
learned of her work and became the Institute's most important benefactor.
Charlotte Hawkins Brown devoted her life to the improvement of the African American community's social standing and was active in the National Council of Negro Women.
Among her numerous institutional efforts, she served on the national board of the Young Women's Christian Association
, the first black woman to do so.
In 1952 Brown retired as president of Palmer Memorial Institute. She died at Greensboro, North Carolina
in 1961 from heart problems, aged 77.
Born Lottie Hawkins in Henderson, North Carolina
Henderson, North Carolina
Henderson, with a population of 16,095 at the 2000 census, is the county seat of Vance County, North Carolina, United States.The city was named in honor of former North Carolina Supreme Court Chief Justice Leonard Henderson, who lived nearby and was a friend of early settler Lewis Reavis...
, in the late 1880s her family moved north to settle in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
. An exceptional student in a very white world, during her senior year of high school, Alice Freeman Palmer, a former Wellesley College president, provided financial support to enable her to further her education at the State Normal School
Normal school
A normal school is a school created to train high school graduates to be teachers. Its purpose is to establish teaching standards or norms, hence its name...
in Salem
Salem, Massachusetts
Salem is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 40,407 at the 2000 census. It and Lawrence are the county seats of Essex County...
.
In 1901 Charlotte Hawkins accepted a teaching position in a one-room school in the rural community of Sedalia, North Carolina
Sedalia, North Carolina
Sedalia is a town in Guilford County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 618 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Sedalia is located at ....
. In 1911 she married fellow teacher Edward S. Brown, but the marriage did not last.
Her dedication to educating young African Americans led to the tiny school evolving to become an accredited school and junior college
Junior college
The term junior college refers to different educational institutions in different countries.-India:In India, most states provide schooling through 12th grade...
, renamed the Palmer Memorial Institute
Palmer Memorial Institute
The Alice Freeman Palmer Memorial Institute, better known as Palmer Memorial Institute, was a school for upper class African Americans. was founded in 1902 by Dr. Charlotte Hawkins Brown at Sedalia, North Carolina near Greensboro. Palmer Memorial Institute was named after Alice Freeman Palmer,...
in honor of her benefactor. In 1915, the prominent Boston
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
financier
Financier
Financier is a term for a person who handles typically large sums of money, usually involving money lending, financing projects, large-scale investing, or large-scale money management. The term is French, and derives from finance or payment...
and philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
Galen L. Stone
Galen L. Stone
Galen Luther Stone was an American financier and philanthropist.Born in Leominster, Massachusetts, in his teens Galen Stone worked as an office clerk in Boston and went on to become a major figure on Wall Street. Together with Charles Hayden, he founded the stock brokerage firms of Hayden, Stone &...
learned of her work and became the Institute's most important benefactor.
Charlotte Hawkins Brown devoted her life to the improvement of the African American community's social standing and was active in the National Council of Negro Women.
Among her numerous institutional efforts, she served on the national board of the Young Women's Christian Association
YWCA
The YWCA USA is the United States branch of a women's membership movement that strives to create opportunities for women's growth, leadership and power in order to attain a common vision—to eliminate racism and empower women. The YWCA is a non-profit organization, the first of which was founded in...
, the first black woman to do so.
In 1952 Brown retired as president of Palmer Memorial Institute. She died at Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro, North Carolina
Greensboro is a city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is the third-largest city by population in North Carolina and the largest city in Guilford County and the surrounding Piedmont Triad metropolitan region. According to the 2010 U.S...
in 1961 from heart problems, aged 77.
Links
- Biography
- Charlotte Hawkins Brown Papers.Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University.