Photo Illustration: Save As/Medium; Source: Bob Fitch Photography Archive, Department of Special Collections, Stanford University Libraries

ZORA Celebrates: Septima Poinsette Clark

“I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos, it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift.” — Septima Poinsette Clark, from Ready From Within

Septima Poinsette Clark (May 3, 1898 –December 15, 1987) was an educator, author, and activist during the civil rights era. She was known as the “Queen Mother” or “Grandmother” of the civil rights movement. Her own experiences with discrimination in the teaching field led her to join activist groups like the NAACP and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. Holding a strong belief that literacy and political empowerment went hand-in-hand, Clark spent much of her life teaching people about their rights as U.S. citizens and how to register to vote.