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The Abiel Smith School, originally founded in 1798 by African American parents in the Boston,  Massachusetts community, was an institution for free African American students.

Year: 1798​

Who: Unnamed African American Parents​

Where: Boston, Massachusetts​

What: Charles L. Reason, born on July 21, 1818, in New York City to West Indies immigrants Michiel and Elizabeth Reason, was a seminal figure in education and civil rights for African Americans. Educated at the African Free School, Reason was an exemplary student, particularly in mathematics, which led him to become an instructor at the school at the tender age of fourteen. His passion for education did not stop there; despite facing racial rejection from the General Theological Seminary of the Protestant Episcopal Church, he never wavered in his commitment to advancing African American education.

In 1849, Reason made history by becoming the first African American professor at a predominantly white American college, New York Central College in McGraw, New York, where he taught belles lettres, Greek, Latin, and French, alongside an adjunct professorship in mathematics. However, his tenure there was short-lived as he resigned in 1852 to become the first principal of Philadelphia's Institute for Colored Youth (now Cheyney University of Pennsylvania), enhancing its reputation through rigorous academic standards and increasing its enrollment significantly. Ethel M. Turner, a chair at Cheyney State College, Pennsylvania, highlights Reason's significant contributions in her book, "A Negro History Compendium." Turner documents the achievements of black individuals from ancient Egypt to contemporary times, with Reason being a prominent figure due to his educational initiatives and advocacy for civil rights. Known for his commitment to the betterment of African Americans through education, Reason helped draft the call for the first New York State Convention of Negroes in 1840 and was a staunch advocate for the education of black children, serving as a superintendent of a black school in New York City.

Sources:

Article

  • Zaslavsky, C. (1983). Black mathematicians and their works: Edited by Virginia K. Newell, Joella H. Gipson, L. Waldo Rich, and Beauregard Stubblefield. Ardmore, PA (Dorrance & Company), 1980. 327 pp. $18.00 (cloth), $12.50.

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