Biography
Edmonia Highgate
Edmonia G. Highgate
Though no portrait of her exists, Edmonia would have taught students in a schoolhouse such as this.
Edmonia Goodelle Highgate was an educator, writer, and activist during the Reconstruction Era. Born in Syracuse, New York in 1844, she was the eldest daughter of seven children by Charles and Hannah Francis Highgate. Edmonia graduated from Syracuse High School with honors in 1861. At age 17, she was the school’s first Black graduate. Highgate later earned a teaching certificate from the Syracuse Board of Education.
Joining the American Missionary Association
Teachers of the American Missionary Association at Slater Training School in Knoxville, Tennessee.
After completing her education, Highgate left home to join the American Missionary Association (AMA). The AMA was a Protestant abolitionist group founded in New York in 1846. Their ultimate mission was to promote racial equality, the abolishment of slavery, education of African Americans, and Christianity. As a teacher for the organization, she traveled to Mississippi in 1868 and other states throughout the South such as Virginia, Maryland, and Louisiana.
A Dangerous Occupation
While teaching African American children in New Orleans, Louisiana, Edmonia G. Highgate often faced violent opposition because of her educational efforts and her support of integrated schools. In an 1866 letter to an associate at the American Missionary Association, she shares the dangers posed to those in her profession and students alike who are in pursuit of an education, crediting God for her protection. Edmonia also wrote about her experiences in several newspapers, including the Christian Recorder.
Twice I have been shot at in my room. . . But I trust fearlessly in God and am safe.
Edmonia G. Highgate, 1866
Teaching the Freedmen
A class photo of students at the Hosanna School Museum.
In 1865, Edmonia G. Highgate briefly stayed in Harford County, Maryland where she taught her first class in the Hosanna AME Church building. The Hosanna School was established soon after in 1867 as the first of the four Freedmen’s Bureau schoolhouses in the county. The property was originally owned by a free African American man named Cupid Paca who bought the 50 acres of land it was built on in 1822. Today, the history of the institution is preserved at the Hosanna School Museum.
A Legacy of Educational Freedom
National Convention of Colored People, Nashville, Tennessee
Edmonia G. Highgate advocated for education outside the classroom. She organized the Louisiana Educational Relief Association for Black children. She also wrote about her experiences as an educator in several newspapers, including the Christian Recorder.
As one of the few Black women at local and national Colored Conventions, Highgate gave unifying and devout speeches on faith, freedom, and equal rights in education. Although Highgate largely went unrecognized for her contributions, she continued to fight for the right to learn until her untimely death in 1870 at age 26.
Related Stories
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
The Brown v. Board decision overturned segregation in public schools. Learn how the Legal Defense Fund built lawsuits to challenge segregation in the courts.
![A color photograph of a portion of a Stop Aids graffiti mural in New York City. The mural is painted on a light tan wall. The bottom half of the image features a depiction of a white brick wall with cracks running through many of the bricks, running the full length of the image. A light and dark blue cloud features prominently on the left side of the image with the words [STOP / AIDS] spray painted in yellow letters outlined in red. The middle of the image features an illustration two men standing in profile, facing each other, on either side of a tombstone. The front of the tombstone has the text [USE YOUR / HEAD BEFORE / YOU END UP / DEAD.] written in black text. The word [DEAD] is underlined and the letters have drip lines giving it a bloody text effect. The man on the left is featured wearing a yellow shirt, yellow pants, and black shoes with yellow laces. He has three black thought bubbles above, and to the right of his head. He is holding his proper left hand splayed out, reaching for a syringe with a bloody hypodermic needle in the proper right hand of the man depicted on the right of the tombstone. The man on the right is depicted with red spikey hair, a green shirt, green pants and black shoes with white laces. On the far right of the image is the text [THE LAW] written in red block letters, outlined in black, above a depiction of scrolled paper with the text [I. DON’T “SHOOT” / DRUGS. / II. USE CONDOM. / III. HAVE SEX WITH FAiTHFUL / PARTNER.] written in black text. There are no inscriptions on the recto. On the verso the image is signed in blue ink by the photographer.](/static/bc247fe92533cf2c8170cc1ed60d5da9/40176/2015_132_262_001.webp)
Medical Racism
The COVID-19 Pandemic has highlighted many systemic inequalities that impact African American health and access to health care.
Legislating Rights
Supreme Court rulings gutting the legal protections of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 have allowed states to restrict access to the ballot.