Charlotte Maxeke
Bridget Widrig
Her Life and Accomplishments
Charlotte Maxeke was born in South Africa and later in her life became part of a church choir. This choir had the opportunity to travel to the U.S. for a show and when the rest of the group left, Charlotte stayed behind and eventually got an education at the University of Cleveland. Here she met her husband and they moved back to South Africa. She was the first African woman to graduate in South Africa. As her life went on, she had many other accomplishments, such as becoming president of the Women's Missionary Society and is now referred to as "the Mother of Black Freedom" in South Africa. Also, her and her husband helped spread education for Africans by starting schools and traveling to teach. In addition to these things, she was also involved in many protests for the rights of Africans during this time period.
Memorial For Charlotte Maxeke
"Defining qualities of Charlotte Maxeke were summarized by Yvonne Mokgoro who has rightly contented that: 'Charlotte Maxeke was a woman who, in every aspect of her life, was expressive of her extraordinary intellect, her diligence, competence, her audacity, assertiveness, patriotism, determination, courage and dedication to the highest ideals'. "
Her Significance
Charlotte helped bring South Africa closer to equality between Africans and other races. First, her spread of education helped people understand that they can change the way things were in their country and helped them learn how this was possible. This especially helped the women in learning that they were worthy of an education and gave them a way to get this education. Also, Charlotte added a voice to the many others fighting for rights for Africans in South Africa.
Citations
"Charlotte (née Manye) Maxeke." Anonymous. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
"Charlotte Maxeke Memorial Lecture." Gov.za. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2015.
Charlotte Maxeke. N.d. Pizacad. Web.