Fannie C. Williams (1882-1980) was an American educator.

Early life

Fannie C. Williams was born in 1882 in

Biloxi Biloxi ( ; ) is a city in and one of two county seats of Harrison County, Mississippi, United States (the other being the adjacent city of Gulfport). The 2010 United States Census recorded the population as 44,054 and in 2019 the estimated popu ...

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

. In the pursuit to attend college, she moved to New Orleans. In 1904, she graduated from

Straight College Straight University, after 1915 Straight College, was a historically black college that operated between 1868 and 1934 in New Orleans, Louisiana. After struggling with financial difficulties, it was merged with New Orleans University to form ...

, a school that later merged with

Dillard University Dillard University is a private, historically black university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded in 1930 and incorporating earlier institutions founded as early as 1869 after the American Civil War, it is affiliated with the United Church of Ch ...

. In 1920, she received two degrees from

Michigan State College Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the United States. It i ...

, a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Pedagogy.

Early Years in Education

Her first job after college was teaching in Gulfport and Pass Christian, Mississippi from 1904 to 1908. After this, she moved to Albion, Michigan and taught at Fisk Elementary from 1908 to 1917.

Later Years in Education

When she returned to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

in 1921, Williams taught at Valena C. Jones Normal School, a school established to train

African-American teachers African-American teachers educated African Americans and taught each other to read during slavery in the South. People who were enslaved ran small schools in secret, since teaching those enslaved to read was a crime (see Slave codes). Meanwhile, i ...

and then certify them to work in the school system. She would later serve as principal of the school. As principal, she encouraged others to give back to the community by having students go out and help others. One thing she promoted was for students to visit the elderly and give them flowers. She was instrumental in having a nursery and a kindergarten class established for

African Americans African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

in the public school system and established an annual child health day when medical professionals visited schools and performed their service free of charge. Moreover, Williams provide milk and hot lunches for the children to encourage healthy eating habits.

Legacy

Fannie C. Williams is prominently remembered for her work in education and community development. Within the city of New Orleans, she served as an organizer, charter member, and President for the Board of Management for the African-American branch of the New Orleans

YWCA The Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) is a nonprofit organization with a focus on empowerment, leadership, and rights of women, young women, and girls in more than 100 countries. The World office is currently based in Geneva, Swi ...

. Started a Health Program which resulted in the creation of Child Health Day on May 1 of each school year. She held a position on many organizations including Board of Directors of the Orleans Neighborhood Center, the Family Service Society, and the Girl Scotts. In 1977, she was the recipient of awards from the

American Teachers Association The American Teachers Association (1937-1966), formerly National Colored Teachers Association (1906–1907) and National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (1907–1937), was a professional association and teachers' union representing tea ...

and the National Teacher's Association. She died in 1980 at the age of 98. Her influence extended beyond the

Orleans Parish New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

School system. She participated in three

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

Conferences during the administrations of U. S. Presidents

Herbert Hoover Herbert Clark Hoover (August 10, 1874 – October 20, 1964) was an American politician who served as the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 and a member of the Republican Party, holding office during the onset of the Gr ...

Franklin Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

, and

Harry Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...

. Williams served as president of the

National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools The American Teachers Association (1937-1966), formerly National Colored Teachers Association (1906–1907) and National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools (1907–1937), was a professional association and teachers' union representing tea ...

and on the board of directors of

and

Flint-Goodridge Hospital Flint-Goodridge Hospital was a hospital that was for many years located at 2425 Louisiana Avenue, next to LaSalle Street, in uptown New Orleans, Louisiana, US. For almost a century (1896–1983) it served predominantly African-American patients ...

. In addition, Williams was a member of advisory for the Department of Public Welfare. Because of her contributions to education, Dillard University opened the Fannie C. Williams Hall in 1946 and 1950, which was named after her to honor the work she did in education and to be a public testimonial of all the work she did. In 1961, Williams received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Dillard University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Fannie C. 1882 births 1980 deaths People from Biloxi, Mississippi Michigan State University alumni 20th-century African-American educators 20th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators Straight University alumni Educators from New Orleans 20th-century African-American women