Septima Poinsette Clark

Born May 3, 1898, in Charleston, South Carolina Died December 15, 1987, on Johns Island, South Carolina

Septima Clark, one of the most effective and yet unsung heroes of the civil rights movement, believed that literacy was the key to empowerment. After teaching for many years in the public schools of South Carolina, she went on to work tirelessly with the Highlander Folk School in Tennessee and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference in Georgia. With her talent for developing leadership, she established innovative citizenship schools throughout the South. She recruited hundreds of teachers who taught thousands of others to read, to register to vote, and to stand up for their rights.