Fanny Jackson Coppin

Fanny Jackson Coppin ( 1837 - 1913 ) was born in the United States as a slave, gained her freedom at a young age and made up her mind to get an education. So, while working as a domestic servant, she studied to enter a school.

After graduating, she started teaching Latin, Greek and Mathematics at the Institute for Coloured Youth in Philadelphia, where she went on to become the principal - the first African American woman to rise to that position in the United States.