‘She inspires me’: Richmond school continues the legacy of Anna Julia Cooper
RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) - A private school in Richmond continues the legacy of an author, activist, and educator while inspiring the next generation.
Anna Julia Cooper School on North 29th Street first opened its doors in 2009 in a renovated house in Church Hill. Students receive full-tuition scholarships, some coming from nearby public housing communities.
The school started with 25 students. Today, 145 2nd-8th graders are learning and growing daily. The school is dedicated to focusing on the whole person, their emotional, academic, social, and spiritual well-being. In the next academic year, kindergarten and first graders will be added to the mix.
“It’s just a normal school. We have our ups and downs and things that work and don’t work. It is the people in the building that make the diamond shine so bright,” explained Principal Yolanda Gilliam, known as Coach G.
The mission of Anna Julia Cooper School is: to love, educate, and uplift its students and graduates so that they may realize their God-given gifts.
“My hope for the students of AJC is that they know they have potential and that they, in some way, tap into some aspect of that. I want them to live their fullest life to their fullest potential, with no boundaries,” said Director of Counseling and Student Life, Dr. Crista Benton.
The school is named after a woman born into slavery who became one of the first Black women in the United States to receive a Ph.D.
“She inspires me to work harder and put respect on myself, doing things for children, for the community. Speaking for the community and myself as well,” explained 7th grader Azaria Wilkins-Newton. “I am somebody that likes to draw. Right now, I want to make a children’s book because I think I am good at writing.”
She was born around 1858 in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1868, when she was around nine years old, she received a scholarship to enter the inaugural class at St. Augustine’s Normal School and Collegiate Institute, which is now St. Augustine’s College.
Anna Julia Cooper later went to Oberlin College in Ohio. She was one of the first Black women to graduate in 1884 with a degree in mathematics. After Oberlin, she moved back to Raleigh and then to Washington, D.C., teaching math and science, eventually becoming a principal of a prestigious high school for Black students.
In 1892, Cooper published the first book-length volume of Black feminist analysis in the U.S. The title, “A voice from the South by a Black Woman of the South,” spoke about race, poverty and gender inequality. She encouraged the African-American community to take advantage of education; Cooper viewed it as a means of true liberation.
“When somebody said it wasn’t for you, it was [for her]. I am a woman, a smart woman, a Black woman,” explained Gilliam. “She went to St. Augustine’s, then she wanted to get a Ph.D., they said not in America, that is not happening. Then she went to France; then she came back.”
In 1914, while working as a teacher full time, she enrolled as a doctoral student at Columbia University. In 1924, Cooper transferred to the University of Paris, Sorbonne, in France. In 1925, Dr. Cooper successfully defended her doctoral dissertation, becoming only the fourth Black woman in the U.S. to earn a Ph.D.
For the students who attend the school today, learning about her life pushes them to achieve.
“When I get older, I want to be a businesswoman,” said 6th grader Jahiya Williams. “I want to go to Spelman; that’s the college I would like to go to.”
For 8th grader, Rocquel Wilson, attending AJC School for the last four years, has shown her there is no limit to what she can do. Wilson aspires to be a perfume chemist. She will be moving on from AJC School, attending St. Catherine’s school in the fall of 2022.
“I would have never thought I would be going to a place like St. Catherine’s; they gave me an opportunity. If I can go from Fairfield to St. Catherine’s, I can do anything,” said Wilson.
Coach G has watched the school grow from less than 30 students and remains in awe of the students who walk the halls. Learning and teaching others about Anna Julia Cooper has kept her grounded in purpose.
“Every day I go home, and I say start all over; how do I keep this light in these kids’ eyes? I think that is her spirit in my spirit saying don’t give up,” said Coach G. “I want to do this forever, [I also] want to be a foster mom. I have 145 kids, but that is not enough; someone else still needs my love.”
The Founding Board of Anna Julia Cooper School voted to name it after Anna Julia Cooper on June 8th. Just three days later, the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp in her honor.
“[Anna Julia Cooper] would be proud [of the school] because this is a very successful school and the kids are great,” said Jahiya Williams.
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