Frances Ellen Watkins Harper was an African-American abolitionist, poet, lecturer, novelist, and political activist who passionately supported civil rights and women’s rights during the 19th century.
Frances E. W. Harper 1825 - 1911
Civil Rights Activist/Poet
With a passion for literature and abolition, Harper eagerly spoke out against inequality, racism, and sexism. She published her first collection of poetry in 1845, Autumn Leaves (also published as Forest Leaves); no copies are currently known to exist. In 1894, Harper co-founded the National Association of Colored Women and was very active in a number of black organizations that believed African-American activists had to be able to set their own agenda and priorities. She is best known for her poetry and fiction, which addressed the importance of self-preservation, and encouraged oppressed African-Americans to work toward self-reliance. She is also credited for helping slaves escape using the Underground Railroad and she wrote regularly for anti-slavery newspapers, which earned her a reputation as the mother of African-American journalism.
Thank you for bringing to us these very important historical women who have been lost to most of us through the dimming of time and neglect of history.
The heroic story of how a small group of people, few of them TB experts, found the cure for the greatest killer in human history. But the battle needed to be extended to all sufferers. Why have we failed to take the miracle to the developing world?
