"OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE" : CORALIE FRANKLIN COOK

Much has been said and written about Sally (Sarah ) Hemings, the mother of several of Thomas Jefferson’s slave children. However, little is taught in the schools in our Black Communities about Coralie Franklin Cook[ a descendant of the Heming’s family ] or about the Black Women of Monroe, Louisiana who fought for Women’s Suffrage! Coralie Franklin Cook was born in Lexington, Virginia, in March 1861 to Albert Barbour Franklin and Mary Elizabeth Edmondson, who enslaved by a Southern aristocratic family. She attended Storer Normal School where she showed a strong interest in speech and reading. In 1880, Coralie graduated from Storer College{ she is the first known college graduate among the descendants of Jefferson's slaves at Monticello }. After graduating from Storer College, she was hired as an Associate Professor, at Storer College, where she taught speech & english. Around 1884, Coralie and her female colleague, Mary Church Terrell decided to seek employment opportunities in Washington D.C.( in the field of Education ). Coralie went on to serve on the Washington D.C. Board of Education. Additionally, she became became a prominent leader among Elite Negro Women and the Black Women's Club movement. Coralie and Mary were early members of one of the oldest Black women's clubs[ the Colored Women's League of Washington ]. To her credit, Coralie was the only African-American woman invited to give an official statement at Susan B Anthony’s 80th birthday celebration at the Lafayette Opera House in 1900. In her address, Coralie addressed Susan B Anthony directly, stating, "...and so Miss Anthony, in behalf of the hundreds of colored women who wait and hope with you for the day when the ballot shall be in the hands of every intelligent woman; and also in behalf of the thousands who sit in darkness and whose condition we shall expect those ballots to better, whether they be in the hands of white women or Black, I offer you my warmest gratitude and congratulations.” Coralie Franklin Cook was a strong & staunch supporter of Women’s Suffrage. movement. Also, she was an active member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and part of the association's inner circles.   On August 31, 1898, Coralie Franklin married George W Cook a professor and Dean of the school at Howard University. They had one son named George William Cook Jr., and they were married for 33 years until George died on August 20,1931{ Coralie Franklin Cook died in 1942, at 81 years of age }.