GKCBHSG Women’s History Month Program: “Her Exile: Anna Julia Cooper in Missouri”
On Saturday, March 21, 2026, at 1:00 pm, the Greater Kansas City Black History Study Group held its Women’s History Month Celebration at the Black Archives of Mid-America-1722 E. 17th Terrace-Kansas City, MO 64108. The featured guest speaker was Dr. Debra Foster Greene, professor emerita of United States History at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri.
In commemoration of Women’s History Month, Dr. Greene explored the life of Anna Julia Haywood Cooper, considered by many to be the mother of Black Feminism. Cooper’s ‘exile’ in Missouri (1906 to 1910) was a period during which she was employed to teach languages at Lincoln Institute (now Lincoln University) in Jefferson City, MIssouri.
Cooper’s life’s work, however, was based in the Washington D.C. area, where Cooper was a teacher of mathematics, science, Latin, and a school principal. She actively implemented college preparatory programs while also supporting students from disadvantaged backgrounds and facilitating admissions to Ivy League and historically Black colleges for many. Her educational philosophy was progressive, often causing her to clash with the D.C. School Board in the debate around the appropriate curriculum for Black students (classical or vocational).
She actively participated in various organizations, including the Phyllis Wheatley Young Women’s Christian Association and the Colored Women’s League of Washington, D.C. Additionally, she co-founded the Colored Settlement House, a social service agency for Black people in D.C., and became a member of the executive committee of the Pan-African Conference. Her 1892 book, A Voice from the South: By a Black Woman of the South, is considered a seminal text in Black feminist thought, asserting that educated Black women are essential to the progress of the African American community
Anna Julia Cooper went on to earn her doctorate in 1925 from the University of Paris, Sorbonne, making her the fourth Black woman in the United States to earn a PhD. Upon retiring from Dunbar High School in 1930, she took up the position of president at Frelinghuysen University, a community school founded in 1906 to offer continued education for Black adults in D.C. The presentation was very enlightening.
Our speaker Dr. Debra Foster Greene. continues to write on topics related to African American history. She serves on local and state commissions, including the Missouri Board on Geographic Names, and the City of Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission. In addition to her historical work, Dr. Greene is a certified economic developer and the owner of DL3 Consulting.
Pictures shown: 1)Dr. Deborah Greene ; 2)PowerPoint Slide of Anna Julia Cooper with Quote
