Brown, Hallie Quinn

Brown, Hallie Quinn

(c. 1845–1949) educator, social reformer; born in Pittsburgh, Pa. Born to former slaves, she graduated from Wilberforce University in 1873 and began a teaching career which ranged from plantation schoolhouses to her alma mater. She was also a public speaker on behalf of African-American culture and a campaigner for temperance. A founder of the National Association of Colored Women, she became its president (1920–24) and remained honorary president until her death.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.