1905 – Anna Julia Cooper Earns Her PhD

On May 10, 1905, Anna Julia Cooper earned her Ph.D. from the University of Paris (Sorbonne), becoming one of the first African American women to receive a doctoral degree. Born into slavery in North Carolina in 1858, Cooper was a fierce advocate for the education of Black women and a prolific scholar. Her book A Voice from the South is considered one of the earliest texts of Black feminist thought. At the Sorbonne, her dissertation focused on French moral philosophy, and her academic success defied the gendered and racial barriers of her era. Cooper’s legacy as an educator and intellectual leader is vast—she served as president of Frelinghuysen University and influenced generations of students. Her contributions to philosophy, feminism, and Black education earned her the nickname “the Mother of Black Feminism.” Cooper lived to be 105, witnessing the Civil Rights Movement she helped make possible through decades of advocacy.