Fanny Jackson Coppin

Overview

Fanny Jackson Coppin born Washington DC January 8, 1837 (d. 1913). African-American educator; taught Greek, Latin and mathematics. Born a slave. First African-American school principal, 1869. Delegate to missionary conference, London, 1888; followed by European tour. Missionary to Cape Town, South Africa, where she founded Bethel Institute. Spoke at World’s Congress of Representative Women, Chicago, 1893.

Quotations

“Love wins when everything else will fail. You say that your child resists all your efforts to break him of his bad habits and make him become good. Have you tried kindness? Have you tried love?” (Reminiscences, p. 58)

On Violence in South Africa: “Much wisdom and patience will be required on the part of our ministers and teachers lest they should add to the spirit of unrest that comes of injustice and proscription. Wisdom dictates that by all means a conflict between the races should be avoided. The Europeans, armed and drilled, would have the advantage of all others, and there could be but one result. The Kingdom of God does not proceed in its conquests by the employment of carnal weapons, and right can afford to be patient because it is bound to win in the end.
”The native people have had enough of war. Their vocation in the ages past was to war among themselves, and it would not be difficult to impress them that that is not the way to right their wrongs. But the new life which we offer them is the life of peace and good will.” (Reminiscences, pp. 132-33; photo blackamerica.com)