12 Black Pioneers Whose Contributions Undoubtedly Changed Education in America

Fanny Jackson Coppin (c. 1837 – 1913)

Coppin was the first female African-American principal in the U.S. in 1865 at the Institute for Colored Youth. She served for 37 years and instituted many improvements in education in Philadelphia and elsewhere. In 1871, she created a practice-teaching system that helped train teachers.

Patrick Francis Healy  (Feb. 27, 1830 – Jan. 10, 1910)

Healy was mixed race and mainly passed as a white man. He was half Irish and half Black. In 1866, Healy became the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in America. He attended the University of Leuven in Belgium. When he returned to the States, Healy became president of Georgetown University. He was the first Black person to preside over a white college. Healy served as president from 1873 – 1882.