“Young women who want an education will not be stopped.” The quote from Indian actor Freida Pinto holds true, particularly for Black women throughout history. Education is a right that, for decades, Black women — from Maya Angelou to Ruby Bridges — have ruthlessly fought for.
Knowledge is powerful, which is one of the reasons why education was withheld from so many enslaved Africans and why quality education is still hard to come by in many urban schools. When applied, knowledge can be used as a weapon against oppression.
Susie King Taylor was one Black woman who understood the power and importance of education, which is why she is known as one of the first Black educators. If you haven’t heard of Taylor, that’s understandable — not many people have. However, despite her unfamiliarity, her life and the impact she created are important to share. Here is a brief look into who Taylor was and why she should be honored and remembered today.
Who was Susie King Taylor?
Born into slavery as Susie Baker on August 6, 1848, in Liberty County, Georgia, Taylor was forbidden the right to an education, just as many enslaved African Americans were.
However, a bit of good fortune shined on Taylor when she went to live with her grandmother in Savannah, Georgia, when she was seven years old. Although Georgia had strict laws against the education of African Americans, Taylor attended in secret two schools that were taught by two Black women.
Taylor was studious, which paid off when she escaped slavery in 1862. She and many others went to St. Simons Island, Georgia, occupied by Union forces and essentially a haven for formerly enslaved African Americans.
Because of her previous education and her reading, writing, and sewing skills, she caught the attention of one of the army officers. “He was surprised by my accomplishments (for they were such in those days), for he said he did not know there were any Negroes in the South able to read or write,” Taylor states in her memoir.
The officer gathered books for her, and Taylor eventually opened a school. Upon doing so, she became the first Black teacher to run a school for freed African Americans. In her school, she taught around 40 children during the day and numerous adults at night. The school continued until October 1862, when the island had to be evacuated so that soldiers could defend Savannah.
This unfortunate turn of events didn’t stop Taylor from continuing her teaching career.
When Taylor married Edward King, a Black army officer, her career changed to working as a nurse and laundress for the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment. Yet, this career change didn’t stifle her passion for education. During her off hours, she taught the soldiers how to read and write; in return, they showed her some new skills.
According to a passage in her memoir, she “learned to handle a musket very well…and could shoot straight and often hit the target.”
Taylor continued her work with the regiment until the end of the war. After she and her husband moved to Savannah, unfortunately, her husband died while she was pregnant with their first child. However, Taylor continued to pursue her dreams and opened up a school.
Leaving a legacy
In addition to her love of education, she had a way with the written word and a gift for storytelling. In 1902, she published an 83-page memoir titled Reminiscences of My Life in Camp about her life as an enslaved person, a freed woman, a nurse, and an educator, and about the overall life of a Black woman living in the South.
Stories like Taylor’s were often called “slave narratives.” They are crucial pieces of history because they told the unknown stories of the lives of many enslaved and freed African Americans. They allow for truthful insights into the past.
Taylor’s memoir is powerful, as Black women’s military involvement was rarely discussed or shared. Yet, women did play a crucial role in the war efforts. Women often raised funds for Black soldiers and attended military camps to work as washwomen and nurses and provide general care for Black soldiers, who were not given the same rights and privileges as white soldiers. To be of service at the camps, Black women often risked being abused by white wagon drivers, who would often refuse to give them a ride to the camps.
When Taylor wrote her memoir, she wrote a piece of history that, instead of centering the male experience, was told from a woman’s point of view. It was something that had never been done before.
While many publications at the time focused on white heroism, Taylor told the truth about the Black soldiers’ experience. One passage in her memoir shares, “The first colored troops did not receive any pay for eighteen months, and the men had to depend wholly on what they received from the commissary.”
Taylor’s life and story are a reminder of the importance of education, especially now with restrictions on teaching critical race theory. Now more than ever, sharing more stories is crucial to our community and society.
