In today’s moment in Women's History, we will highlight Mary Jane Patterson (born 1840 in Raleigh, North Carolina and passed away September 24, 1894, in Washington, D.C.).
She was the first African American woman to earn a bachelor’s degree from an American college.
Patterson’s family headed north in the 1850s, and she chose Oberlin College…the first school in the U.S. to admit Black students and women. Instead of the shorter “ladies’ course,” she tackled the full four-year “gentleman’s” program of Greek, Latin, and higher math. In 1862 she graduated with high honors, smashing a barrier no Black woman had cleared before.
She poured that education into teaching across Ohio, Virginia, and Philadelphia, then helped launch Washington, D.C.’s first public high school for Black students (today’s Dunbar High). She even served as one of its earliest principals, mentoring generations of young minds while co-founding the Colored Women’s League to lift up Black women through learning and leadership.
Her quiet courage still lights the way.
Remember…Education is FREEdom of mind and never should be colorblind.
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