Susan Elizabeth Frazier (May 29, 1864 – February 3, 1924) was a

thought leader A thought leader has been described as an individual or firm recognized as an authority in a specific field and also as business jargon. Meanings Go-to expert From the perspective of a thought leader as the 'go-to expert', being a thought leader ...

on the issues of women's and African Americans' rights and capacity. She was an active and accomplished

substitute teacher A substitute teacher is a person who teaches a school class when the regular teacher is absent or unavailable; e.g., because of illness, personal leave, maternal leave and so on. "Substitute teacher" (usually abbreviated as "sub") is the most co ...

New York City Public Schools The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (or the New York City Public Schools) is t ...

at a time when such opportunities for African American women were very limited. On February 16, 1892 she delivered an address to an audience of the Brooklyn Literary Union, called "Some Afro American Women of Mark" which has been referenced from its time of first presentation, through to contemporary books and dissertations today. In 1894 Frazier applied for the position of New York City public school teacher, at a school with white students. Later that year she received a request to meet in person with School 58 principal F. W. James. Upon meeting her, James declined to appoint her due to her African heritage, saying such an appointment could "cause trouble." At the time,

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 ensl ...

were restricted to teaching only other African Americans. She is quoted as saying at the time, "There are colored teachers in the schools of

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

Jersey City Jersey City is the second-most populous city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, after Newark.Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

and other cities, and I think it time that the color line was obliterated in appointing a teacher in New York City." So she took her case to the courts, which initially rejected her plea in 1895. But she was eventually appointed May 26, 1896. During

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

she was president of the Women's Auxiliary of the Old Fifteenth National Guard, an African American troop, and continued to work with the 369th Infantry as it became known. Frazier was among 15 New York City public school teachers who won a contest promoted in the spring of 1919 by the Evening Telegram. The contest, based on votes from the public, identified the most popular teachers and sent them to the very recently silenced battlefields of Europe. They left for Europe on November 10, 1919 on the SS Royal George, receiving a leave of absence from their teaching positions. Upon her death in 1924, full military honors were held in the

369th Regiment Armory The 369th Regiment Armory is a historic National Guard Armory building located at 2366 Fifth Avenue, between West 142nd and 143rd Streets, in Harlem, Manhattan, New York City. It was built for the 369th Regiment, also known as the "Harlem Hell Fi ...

and her casket was draped with the

American flag The national flag of the United States of America, often referred to as the ''American flag'' or the ''U.S. flag'', consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the c ...

.Susan Elizabeth Frazier"
"The Historical Cookbook of the American Negro," The National Council of Negro Women, Height & Bower, Beacon Press, Boston, p. 42. She was the great-granddaughter of African American Revolutionary War

Veteran A veteran () is a person who has significant experience (and is usually adept and esteemed) and expertise in a particular occupation or field. A military veteran is a person who is no longer serving in a military. A military veteran that has ...

Andrew Frazier.

Citations

Bibliography

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External links

Photograph of Miss Susan Elizabeth Frazier from "Homespun Heroines and Other Women of Distinction" by Hallie Q. Brown

Application of colored woman from Brooklyn, for membership in Daughters of the American Revolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frazier, Susan Elizabeth 1864 births 1924 deaths African-American schoolteachers Schoolteachers from New York (state) American women educators Educators from New York City African Americans in World War I 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people