Mary Weston Fordham
Mary Weston Fordham (1844–1905) was an African American writer and teacher. She is known for writing a collection of 66 poems, entitled Magnolia Leaves,[1] which offers a presentation of African-American families following the American Civil War. The introduction to the book is written by Booker T. Washington,[1] in which he reflects on his concerns for African-American families.
Personal background
Mary Weston Fordham was born in 1844 in Charleston, South Carolina.[1] Her parents and extended family were skilled and land owners. She was a poet and an educator. She ran a school for African-American children during the Civil War. After the war, she worked as a teacher for the American Missionary Association.[2]
Published works
- Fordham, Mary Weston (1897). Magnolia Leaves, Charleston: Walker, Evans & Cogswell Co.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Biographies". Digital.nypl.org. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
- ↑ "Mary Weston Fordham". The Poetry Foundation. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
Further reading
- Gardner, Eric; Henry Louis Gates Jr.; and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham (eds). "Mary Weston Fordham", African American National Biography, Oxford African American Studies Center
- Goven, Sandra Y.; and Jessie Carney Smith, editor (1996). "Mary Weston Fordham", Notable Black American Women