Fannie M. Richards (October 1, 1840 – February 13, 1922) was an American educator. She created the first kindergarten program in Michigan, and for that was inducted into the
Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. She also protested against the segregation of
Detroit Public Schools.
Biography
Richards was born on October 1, 1840 in
Fredericksburg, Virginia
Fredericksburg is an independent city located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,982. The Bureau of Economic Analysis of the United States Department of Commerce combines the city of Fredericksburg wi ...
, to Aldoph and Maria Richards.
She soon moved to
Toronto, and was educated both there and in Germany, working in Germany with German educator
Friedrich Fröbel. She later moved to
Detroit, and was allowed to teach there despite not having the correct license. In 1863, she opened a private school for African-American children and, five years later was appointed the Instructor at Colored School Number 2.
Working with
John J. Bagley
John Judson Bagley (July 24, 1832 – July 27, 1881) was a politician from the US state of Michigan, as well as the 16th governor of Michigan.
Early life in New York and Michigan
Bagley was born in Medina, New York to John and Mary M. (Smith) B ...
, Richards protested against the segregated school system in Detroit; which the
Michigan Supreme Court eventually mandated the abolition of in 1871. That same year she started working at Everett Elementary School, and there established the first kindergarten class in Michigan. Richards also founded the Phyllis Wheatly Home for Aged Colored Ladies in Detroit, and cofounded the Michigan Association of Colored Women. She retired from teaching in 1915. Richards died February 13, 1922.
Richards home was added to the State of Michigan Registry of Historic Sites on November 14, 1974. A portrait of Miss Fannie M. Richards, painted by Detroit artist Telitha Cumi Bowens, was included in the 1988/89 exhibit "Ain't I A Woman" at the
Museum of African American History, Detroit. The exhibit featured a dozen prominent Black women from the state of Michigan, including
Ethelene Jones Crockett, M.D., the
Honorable Cora M. Brown, and Dr. Violet T. Lewis.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Richards, Fannie
1840 births
1922 deaths
African-American educators
African-American women educators
Schoolteachers from Michigan
American women educators
American expatriates in Canada
American expatriates in Germany
20th-century African-American people
20th-century African-American women