Edna Meade Colson
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Edna Meade Colson (October 7, 1888 – January 17, 1985) was an American educator, known for her contributions to improving access to education to Virginian African Americans.


Biography

Edna Meade Colson was born on October 7, 1888, in Petersburg,
Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. She was the oldest of five children of prominent educators, James Major Colson and Kate Deaver Hill Colson. She received her B.A. from
Fisk University Fisk University is a Private university, private Historically black colleges and universities, historically black Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Nashville, Tennessee. It was founded in 1866 and its campus i ...
in 1915 and received a Ph.D. from Teachers College,
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
in 1940. She and her sister Myra Colson Callis both spoke at the 1915 commencement ceremony at Fisk. After overcoming her own obstacles to higher education, she became a champion of making graduate education available to African Americans. In 1937, Colson chaired the committee to implement the program offering graduate courses to African Americans at
Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...
. Colson was also politically active beyond education. She was among the first women to register to vote after the ratification of the 19th Amendment, and she was the first African-American woman to become a lifetime member of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...
. Colson lived with her partner Amaza Lee Meredith. They occupied the house in
Chesterfield County, Virginia Chesterfield County is a County (United States), county located just south of Richmond, Virginia, Richmond in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia. The county's borders are primarily defined by the James River to the north an ...
, named " Azurest South", which was designed by Meredith. Colson retired from
Virginia State University Virginia State University (VSU or Virginia State) is a Public university, public Historically black colleges and universities, historically Black land-grant university, land-grant university in Ettrick, Virginia, United States. Founded on , Vi ...
(then Virginia State College) in 1953. She died at the age of 96 in a Colonial Heights nursing home on January 17, 1985, and was buried at Eastview Cemetery, Petersburg City, Virginia.


References


Further reading

*Fairclough, Adam. ''A Class of Their Own: Black Teachers in the Segregated South.'' Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press, 2007. {{DEFAULTSORT:Colson, Edna Meade African-American educators African-American women educators Virginia State University faculty 1985 deaths 1888 births People from Petersburg, Virginia Educators from Virginia LGBTQ people from Virginia African-American LGBTQ people 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women 20th-century American women academics