ALISHA C. TAYLOR - Key Persons
Dr. Matilda Evans was born on May 13, 1872, near Aiken, South Carolina, to Harriet Corley and Anderson Evans, former slaves turned sharecroppers. The oldest of three children, she worked endless days picking cotton in the fields alongside her family at a young age, yearning to obtain an education.
Her dreams were realized when she gained admittance to the Schofield Normal and Industrial School located nearby in Aiken, South Carolina. Despite threats of violence, Quaker and native Philadelphian Martha Schofield founded the school in 1868-one of the first high schools in the nation to educate African Americans.
Dr. Matilda Evans was known for her ability to persuade and motivate people of all races. She communicated regularly with leaders in both white and black communities to achieve common goals. The hospital relied heavily upon volunteer care to provide services, a large portion of whom were white males looking to gain medical experience. She also sold hospital services in addition to her own, setting up paying contracts with major corporations to provide employee health care. She was a great saleswoman!
She continued to reach out to benefactors on behalf of the hospital and other aspiring students in the African American community. Dr. Evans wrote about an aspiring physician in 1907, saying, "I need her…the poor people of her race need her." Dr. Evans wrote confidently about herself in the same letter, noting, "You may remember me as being the colored student to whom you gave a scholarship in 1893 to The Woman's Medical College of Pennsylvania. I graduated in the class of 1897 and came South and have built up, as I must tell you, a most enviable reputation. I have done well and have a very large practice among all classes of people. I have not lost one day since I left College."
Wow! The statement, "I have not lost one day since I left College" struck a chord with me as an ideal that we should all live our lives by. Can you imagine what we would accomplish if our goal was not ever losing one day? Dr. Matilda Evans was constantly working, writing, and serving others. It seems to mean a lot more today, since we're able to binge television shows and spend so much time on social media. I don't see Dr. Matilda Evans doing any of those things if she were still alive today!
Dr. Matilda Evans' service and character was recognized far and wide, well beyond just her own race. The nurses she helped train were highly sought after by blacks and whites. White attorney John T. Duncan advocated for funding of the Taylor Lane Hospital, stating, "(Evans) the best educated and most intelligent member of her race I have ever known. (She has) the confidences (sic) of the community and the best wishes of the white people."
Dr. Evans was quite industrious, and filled in gaps where she saw them. In 1916 Dr. Evans started The Negro Health Association of South Carolina. This entity focused on a weekly newspaper, The Negro Health Journal, that provided much needed preventative health education. When her beloved Taylor Lane Hospital succumbed to a fire, she was able to move operations into the much larger St. Luke's Hospital and Training School for Nurses. She operated the second facility until the United States' entry into World War I in 1918, when Dr. Evans served in the Medical Service Corps.
Dr. Evans was the only black female physician to serve as president of a state medical association, the Palmetto Medical Association, in 1922. She also served as president of the Colored Congaree Medical Society, regional vice president of the National Medical Association, and as a trustee of Haines College in Augusta, Georgia (where she once worked as a teacher).
Even through the Great Depression, Dr. Evans continued to provide free and discounted care. She greatly concerned herself with the welfare of African American children-who often went without immunizations or regular medical exams. She provided care in nearby schools, funding exams, tests, and much-needed vaccinations. Her observations and data regarding pediatric illnesses moved the school system to add physical exams to its standard requirements for students of all races.
Dr. Evans was very persuasive and used teamwork, data, and the media to obtain better solutions for African Americans. "I am determined-I have sworn it-that…our children shall not be deprived of the advantages which a first class, most modern clinic can give." Through her leadership, funding for the Columbia Clinic Association was successfully obtained. Starting in 1930, it provided free care for African American pregnant mothers and children.
Did I mention that during this time, Dr. Evans raised eleven children? Eleven. She never married or had her own children, but raised five of her nieces and nephews in addition to six others without homes. She was an adoptive and foster parent for more than two dozen children, and she and her family lived on a twenty-two acre farm with animals, fruits and vegetables that needed continuous attention as well.
Her hobbies included knitting, dancing, and playing the piano. She rarely missed services at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, and served as an officer in the Upper Diocese of South Carolina.
Dr. Evans also taught herself how to swim. She also founded a recreational program for boys, opening a pool for them, while at the same time providing a place where African Americans could learn how to swim.
I don't know if she ever slept!
Dr. Evans did not escape criticism, however. Many thought that she should advocate for desegregated facilities instead of just obtaining funding for segregated facilities. She was also accused of working too much with those in the white community, especially when she allowed white male doctors to provide much of the medical care in exchange for the opportunity to gain experience.
That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed today's story about the remarkable feats of service that Dr. Matilda Evans accomplished. Her legacy lives on in the many descendants of the thousands of people she helped.
Did you hear about an African American folk musician who was invited to play in multiple presidential inaugurations in a time when this was considered unacceptable? How about a man who influenced many generations through his blues and folk songs? Join us for today's episode on the remarkable feats of South Carolinian Josh White.
Joshua Daniel White was born on February 11, 1914, in Greenville, South Carolina, the fourth of seven children (six living) to Daisy Elizabeth and Minister Dennis White.
So what are your thoughts on Lewis Redmond? I'm so surprised a movie hasn't been made yet-it would be a high action one, don't you think?
That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed today's story of the Outlaw Lewis Redmond.
Lucy Holcombe Pickens. Southern belle-and the rumored model for Gone with the Wind's Scarlett O'Hara character, the uncrowned "Queen of the Confederacy," the Confederate first lady of South Carolina, and according to some, the fabled "Yellow Rose of Texas." She was a spendthrift-power and money hungry. And if the Confederate States of America is included, the very first woman to be featured on U.S. currency. It's difficult sorting through the fact and fiction of Lucy Holcombe Pickens' life, but we're going to do just that in today's episode.
Martha Schofield noticed Matilda's hard work, wit and potential, and invested extra time and effort into the budding student. Likewise, Matilda idolized the brave Martha Schofield, eventually writing a biography about her in 1916 entitled, Martha Schofield, Pioneer Negro Educator.
Martha Schofield encouraged Matilda's study beyond the Schofield School, and worked to obtain funds for her to attend Ohio's Oberlin College. In 1892 Matilda left college before graduation and served as a teacher at the Haines Institute in Augusta, Georgia. Just one year later, she returned to teach at the Schofield School to save up for medical school.
Martha Schofield continued to help Matilda, assisting her in making connections that would help finance her medical education. She was finally able to attend The Woman's Medical College in Philadelphia in 1893. Even though it could not have been easy being the only African American in her classes, Matilda worked very hard and obtained her medical degree in 1897.
Shortly thereafter, Dr. Matilda Evans returned to Columbia, South Carolina, to start her practice, originally focusing on health care for African Americans. She was the first NATIVE female African American physician in the state (only a few months later than and second to a female doctor who had relocated from in North to South Carolina). Nevertheless, she was the first to be licensed.
Her private practice was incredibly successful. She served as a surgeon, obstetrician, gynecologist, and pediatrician. She treated both whites and African Americans, and was sought after from neighboring states for her care, especially within the fields of gynecology and obstetrics. Notably, she treated white women who preferred a female doctor and one who valued patient privacy. Fees from her wealthier patients subsidized much of the care she provided to the poor.
Septima Poinsette Clark was born on May 3, 1898, in Charleston, South Carolina, the second child of eight for Victoria Warren Anderson and Peter Porcher Poinsette. Her mother was raised in Haiti and educated in Europe as the child of a Haitian woman and Native American father. Her father, Peter Poinsette, was a former slave of Joel Poinsett, who is featured in Episode 1 of this podcast for introducing the poinsettia plant from Mexico to the United States during his time as the U.S. Ambassador to Mexico.
Septima was raised in a strict and proud home where her parents valued ladylike behavior and education above all things. During this time, however, African Americans were not permitted to teach in schools, so Septima experienced teaching methods and styles that were only delivered by whites. She was remarkably bright and attended the Avery Normal School in Charleston. Upon her graduation, Septima decided she wanted to teach regardless of the law, so in 1916 she secured a teaching position on Johns Island, South Carolina, serving the African American community.
Teaching was very difficult, and the conditions on Johns Island were rudimentary at best. Students only attended school when it rained because they worked on family farms. There were no desks, paper, or an adequate heating system in the small classroom, but Septima's students loved to learn and started to teach their parents and families at home. Before long, Septima's teaching skills were in demand by many in the local community, and she began teaching parents and adults at night. The local residents were of the Gullah-Geechee culture; they spoke a special Creole language of English and African origins and used oral stories and traditions in their daily lives. Septima tapped into these local oral traditions to teach basic reading and writing skills to many people on the island.
In 1919 Septima joined the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to advocate for black teachers to be allowed to teach in schools, achieving success when this law was finally passed in 1920. During this time Septima fell in love and married navy serviceman Nerie Clark. Their first child, a daughter, died shortly after birth while Nerie was away at sea. Their son, Nerie Jr., was born after the couple had moved to Dayton, Ohio, upon Nerie's release from the navy. The marriage fell apart soon after, and Septima found herself raising Nerie Jr. alone.
Septima returned to Johns Island to teach in 1926, but found it hard to balance her work with raising a young child. After a rough bout of childhood illness, Nerie Jr. was sent to Nerie Clark's family in North Carolina to be raised for many years.
Septima relocated to Columbia, South Carolina, where she taught and attended college at the same time, obtaining her college degree from Benedict College in 1942. She continued to work with the NAACP and took up a new cause: equal pay for equally qualified teachers-regardless of their race. When this law was passed in 1945, it relied upon the use of a national exam to establish equal qualifications. Septima obtained her master's degree from the Hampton Institute in Virginia and aced the national teacher's exam, finally achieving in 1946-after 30 years of teaching!- a salary she could live on for her skills as an educator.
Septima relocated back to Charleston, South Carolina, to care for her ailing mother. During this time, she took up many causes, such as fundraising for African American health and scholarships. She became the chairperson of the local YMCA, where she learned to negotiate with others in spite of their refusal to accept her race or gender.
In 1953 Septima began working with the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee, with civil rights activist-educators Myles and Zilphia Horton. The school taught its students how to successfully advocate for civil rights in their communities-including the desegregation of schools. Septima recruited and trained well-known leaders in the civil rights movement such as Esau Jenkins and Rosa Parks-you've heard of her, right?
In 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education desegregated schools across the nation, but many states, including South Carolina, fought this with additional laws. One law did not allow teachers who were members of the NAACP to practice. Septima was fired without a retirement or health plan, regardless of her four plus decades of service.
Septima was fortunate in that she was able to obtain a paid position at the Highlander School with the Hortons, but many were not so fortunate. Others chose to hide their affiliation with the NAACP to preserve their jobs.
At the Highlander School, Septima taught African American adults how to register to vote. While this is an easy online process now, at that time African Americans had to pass random and subjective questions in order to obtain a voter registration card and vote. Clark's "citizenship schools" were immensely popular and quickly spread across the nation-897 in total!
Unfortunately, the Highlander School was targeted for its efforts and lost its license due to trumped-up charges. Septima and the school's leaders aligned with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which led to her becoming the Director of Education in 1961. She taught leaders from across the nation how to read, write, register to vote, engage in peaceful protests, and plan effective demonstration tactics. In turn, leaders whom Septima taught returned to their local communities and taught countless others. Septima traveled all over the American South recruiting and training leaders for the civil rights movement.
As such, she and her associates were often jailed and targeted for violence, and in one instance she left a meeting location that was engulfed in an arsonist's flames only five minutes later. She disapproved of violent tactics, and was known to talk down and reason with any members who suggested violence as a solution.
Septima became known as the "Mother Conscience" and the "Mother" or "Grandmother" of the civil rights movement. She was selected as one of the few people invited to Norway by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to receive his Nobel Peace Prize in 1964. She was devastated by the loss of Dr. King in 1968, and retired from the SCLC in 1970. Never fear, though-she remained active for years in Charleston, SC, raising money for African Americans, setting up childcare centers, joining the National Organization for Women (NOW) and advocating for equal gender rights, and serving on the same school board that had fired her years before (they reinstated her pension and others' in 1976).
Septima was honored many times in her lifetime, receiving the SCLC's Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Award for services to humanity, the National Education Association's Race Relations Award, the Wil Lou Gray Award for her service to the under-educated in South Carolina, and the Order of the Palmetto, South Carolina's highest award for outstanding service. In 1978, the city of Charleston, South Carolina, named a major highway the "Septima P. Clark Expressway" in her honor. In 1979 Clark traveled to the White House, where President Jimmy Carter awarded her the Living Legacy Award.
At the age of 89, Septima Poinsette Clark passed away on her beloved Johns Island, South Carolina.
That's it for today! I hope you enjoyed today's story about the remarkable feats Septima Poinsette Clark accomplished. Her legacy lives on in the many people she educated, recruited, trained, and inspired throughout her seven decades of service to others.