Booker T. Washington

Booker Taliferro Washington (April 5, 1856 – November 15, 1915) was an African American educator and author. He was born into slavery at the community of Hale's Ford in Franklin County, Virginia. After he and his mother were freed, as a young man he made his way east from West Virginia (where she had obtained work) to obtain schooling at Hampton in eastern Virginia at a school established to train teachers.

Honors and memorials

For his contributions to American society, Dr. Washington was granted honorary degrees from Harvard University in 1896 and Dartmouth College. On April 5, 1956, the house where he was born in Hardy, Virginia was designated a United States National Monument. Additionally, the first coin to feature an African-American was the Booker T. Washington Memorial Half Dollar that was minted by the U.S. Mint from 1946 to 1951. On April 7, 1940, Dr. Washington became the first African American to be depicted on a United States postage stamp. Numerous schools across the country are named for him, including the Dallas Independent School District's Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts.

Related Topics:
Harvard University - Dartmouth College - April 5 - 1956 - United States National Monument - Coin - U.S. Mint - 1946 - 1951 - April 7 - 1940 - African American - United States - Postage stamp - Dallas Independent School District - Booker T. Washington High School for the Performing and Visual Arts

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