Sarah J. Garnet
Encyclopedia
Sarah J. Tompkins Garnet (née Smith) (July 31, 1831 - Sept. 17, 1911) was an African-American educator and suffragist from New York City
who was a pioneer as the first African-American female school principal in the New York City public school system
.
Sarah married Samuel Tompkins who died in approximately 1852. Her two children from that marriage died prematurely.
.
Sarah began teaching at the African Free School
of Williamsburg
in 1854. She was the first African-American woman to be appointed as a principal in the New York City public school system; she took over as principal of Grammar School Number 4 on April 30, 1863.
Garnet retired from active school service in 1900. She served as teacher and principal for more than fifty years.
in the late 1880s. And she was the superintendent of suffrage for the National Association of Colored Women
.
After noted abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet
’s wife died, he and Sarah married. While on an appointment as Ambassador in Liberia
, Garnet became ill, and he died on February 13, 1882 in Monrovia
.
Sarah traveled with her sister, Susan Steward to London, England for the inaugural Universal Races Congress of 1911 where Steward presented the paper, "Colored American Women." The conference was organized by W. E. B. DuBois. Soon after they returned from London, she died at home.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
who was a pioneer as the first African-American female school principal in the New York City public school system
New York City Department of Education
The New York City Department of Education is the branch of municipal government in New York City that manages the city's public school system. It is the largest school system in the United States, with over 1.1 million students taught in more than 1,700 separate schools...
.
Family and early life
Sarah J. Smith, daughter of Sylvanus and Anne (Springsteel) Smith, was born on July 31, 1831 in Brooklyn, New York. Sarah was the oldest of eleven children. Her sister Susan McKinney Steward was first African-American woman in New York State to earn a medical degree, and the third in the United States.Sarah married Samuel Tompkins who died in approximately 1852. Her two children from that marriage died prematurely.
Pioneer educator
When Sarah began teaching in New York City, the public schools were racially segregatedRacial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
.
Sarah began teaching at the African Free School
African Free School
The African Free School was an institution founded by the New York Manumission Society on November 2, 1787. It was founded to provide education to children of slaves and freemen.-History:...
of Williamsburg
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Williamsburg is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn, bordering Greenpoint to the north, Bedford-Stuyvesant to the south, Bushwick to the east and the East River to the west. The neighborhood is part of Brooklyn Community Board 1. The neighborhood is served by the NYPD's 90th ...
in 1854. She was the first African-American woman to be appointed as a principal in the New York City public school system; she took over as principal of Grammar School Number 4 on April 30, 1863.
Garnet retired from active school service in 1900. She served as teacher and principal for more than fifty years.
Suffrage
Sarah was the founder of the Brooklyn suffrage organization, Equal Suffrage LeagueEqual Suffrage League (Brooklyn, New York)
Equal Suffrage League was a suffrage organization founded by Sarah J. Garnet in Brooklyn, New York in the late 1880s to advocate for voting rights for African American women. The group worked to abolish both gender and race bias...
in the late 1880s. And she was the superintendent of suffrage for the National Association of Colored Women
National Association of Colored Women
The National Association of Colored Women Clubs was established in Washington, D.C., USA, by the merger in 1896 of the National Federation of Afro-American Women, the Women's Era Club of Boston, and the National League of Colored Women of Washington, DC, as well as smaller organizations that had...
.
Later life, death, legacy
Sarah owned a seamstress shop in Brooklyn from 1883 to 1911.After noted abolitionist Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet
Henry Highland Garnet was an African American abolitionist and orator. An advocate of militant abolitionism, Garnet was a prominent member of the abolition movement that led against moral suasion toward more political action. Renowned for his skills as a public speaker, he urged blacks to take...
’s wife died, he and Sarah married. While on an appointment as Ambassador in Liberia
Liberia
Liberia , officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Sierra Leone on the west, Guinea on the north and Côte d'Ivoire on the east. Liberia's coastline is composed of mostly mangrove forests while the more sparsely populated inland consists of forests that open...
, Garnet became ill, and he died on February 13, 1882 in Monrovia
Monrovia
Monrovia is the capital city of the West African nation of Liberia. Located on the Atlantic Coast at Cape Mesurado, it lies geographically within Montserrado County, but is administered separately...
.
Sarah traveled with her sister, Susan Steward to London, England for the inaugural Universal Races Congress of 1911 where Steward presented the paper, "Colored American Women." The conference was organized by W. E. B. DuBois. Soon after they returned from London, she died at home.