“OUR RICH BLACK HERITAGE” : FANNIE C WILLIAMS It will come as a big surprise to some, but maybe not much of a surprise to others. The surprise is what a few states are starting to go back to, in order to deal with the teacher shortage situation. You see, there was a time in New Orleans, Louisiana that a person did not have to have a four-year college degree in order to teach in Louisiana public schools. Before 1940, a person could graduate high school, receive their diploma, and attend what was called a “Normal School” for about 2 years.Normal School were developed and built primarily to train elementary-level teachers for the public schools systems. Once they had received their certificate, they could teach in a Louisiana public school. Which happens to bring us to this week’s Black Pioneer,” Fannie C Williams! Fannie was born on March 23, 1882 in Biloxi, Mississippi. She attended high school in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1904, Fannie graduated from Straight College in New Orleans, which later became Dillard University. The bulk of her career as an educator was in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1921, Fannie was appointed principal of Valena C. Jones Elementary School. In addition to acting as the principal of the elementary school ; in 1931 she also became head principal of the Valena C Jones Normal & Practical School, which certified Negro teachers for the New Orleans Public Schools. A few of her accomplishments included starting a health day at the elementary school, where children were treated by local Black medical professionals for free of charge, starting the first Negro Troop of Girl Scouts ; Troop 99, in the city of New Orleans, and she personally trained & certified thousands of Negro public school teachers during her 30 plus years as an educator. Fannie C Williams died in 1980 at the golden age of 98. Note : thanks to funds from FEMA and other contributors, there is now a New Fannie C Williams Charter School located in New Orleans 7th Ward!
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