World Literary Awards

← Back to Home

Septima Poinsette Clark

セプティマ・ポインセット・クラーク

Septima Poinsette Clark

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1898-05-03 （Charleston, South Carolina, United States）
Died
1987-12-15 （Johns Island, South Carolina, United States） age 89
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Religion
Methodist (United/African Methodist affiliations)
Residence History
Charleston, South Carolina → Johns Island, South Carolina → Columbia, South Carolina → Hickory, North Carolina → Monteagle (Highlander Folk School), Tennessee → New York (summer studies at Columbia University)

Career

Occupations
educator, adult literacy teacher, civil rights activist, public servant (school board)
Active Years
1916-1970
Affiliations
NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People), SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), Highlander Folk School, Alpha Kappa Alpha, YWCA
Memberships
NAACP (member/leadership at branch level), SCLC (board member), Alpha Kappa Alpha (member)
Influenced By
W. E. B. Du Bois, Booker T. Washington (emphasis on education), Myles Horton (founder of Highlander)
Influenced
Rosa Parks (participant in workshops), Andrew Young (organizing via citizenship schools), Numerous grassroots leaders and students trained by Citizenship Schools

Education

Benedict College
Degree: B.A.
Period: 通学と教職の両立（1930年代-1942）
Year of Graduation: 1942
Country: United States
Completed degree while teaching; attended classes mornings and evenings and worked summers.
Hampton Institute (now Hampton University)
Degree: M.A.
Period: 1940年代中期（夜間・夏季を含む研修）
Year of Graduation: 1945
Country: United States
Completed graduate-level studies related to education.
Columbia University (summer studies)
Period: 夏季研修（複数回）
Country: United States
Attended summer courses relevant to her educational and civic work.

Awards

Martin Luther King Jr. Award
1970
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (College of Charleston)
1978
Organization: College of Charleston
Result: 授与
Living Legacy Award
1979
Organization: President of the United States (award presented during Jimmy Carter administration)
Result: 受賞
Drum Major for Justice Award
1987
Organization: SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference)
Result: 受賞（SCLC最高位の賞）
American Book Award
1987
Work: Ready from Within (autobiography)
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Echo in My Soul

1962 autobiography

A memoir recounting her upbringing, career as an educator, work at Highlander, and involvement in the civil rights movement, including adult literacy teaching under Jim Crow.

educationadult literacycitizenshipsouthern racial segregation

Ready from Within

1986 autobiography (oral narrative)

An oral-narrative autobiography detailing the development and spread of the Citizenship Schools program and how literacy training led to increased voter registration.

citizenship educationliteracy movementgrassroots organizing

Bibliography

  • Echo in My Soul
  • Ready from Within: Septima Clark and the Civil Rights Movement

Style & Themes

Literary Style
autobiographical, retrospective narrativepractical, classroom-rooted descriptions
Recurring Motifs
education and empowermentcommunity organizingwomen's roles and dedication

Legacy

Septima Clark's Citizenship Schools promoted adult literacy and contributed to hundreds of thousands of Black voter registrations, providing a pragmatic foundation for the civil rights movement. She is honored for grassroots leadership development and is commemorated by schools, parks, a minor planet, and a commemorative coin.

Museums

  • Septima P. Clark Public Charter School (named in her honor) Washington, D.C.
  • Septima P. Clark Memorial Park Charleston, South Carolina

Archives

  • Septima P. Clark Papers (Avery Research Center for African American History and Culture)

In Popular Culture

  • Minor planet 6238 Septimaclark named in her honor (naming citation published 2019)
  • Featured on the reverse of the American Innovation 2020 $1 coin for South Carolina
  • Commemorated via parkways, parks, and school names (e.g., Septima P. Clark Parkway)

Quotes

  • I have a great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift.
    Source: Ready from Within / interview/ recollection (1986)
  • This country was built up from women keeping their mouths shut.
    Source: memoir / interview
  • I never felt that getting angry would do you any good other than hurt your own digestion.
    Source: Ready from Within / recollection (1986)

Trivia

  • Her father was born into servitude on the Poinsett plantation.
  • Citizenship Schools are credited with contributing to hundreds of thousands of Black voter registrations.
  • Minor planet 6238 was named 'Septimaclark' in her honor (naming citation published 2019).