Nannie Helen Burroughs

Nannie Helen Burroughs founded the National Training School for Women and Girls in Washington, D.C., in 1909 — an institution that provided vocational, liberal arts, and religious education to Black women at a time when most doors were closed to them. She was a fierce advocate for economic independence, arguing that Black women needed practical skills and self-reliance, not charity. Her motto for the school was "We Specialize in the Wholly Impossible."

Born in Orange Springs, Virginia, in 1879, and raised in Washington, D.C., Burroughs graduated with honors from the city's Black high school but was denied a teaching position because of colorism — she was considered too dark-skinned. The rejection fueled her determination. She became an organizer for the National Baptist Convention and delivered a speech at their 1900 convention titled "How the Sisters Are Hindered from Helping" that launched her into national prominence.

Burroughs raised the money for her school through relentless fundraising within the Black community, refusing to depend on white philanthropists. The school taught practical skills like bookkeeping, printing, and domestic science alongside Black history, literature, and the arts. She was a supporter of the anti-lynching movement, an advocate for voting rights, and an early proponent of Black economic nationalism. She led the school until her death in 1961, having educated thousands of Black women who went on to become teachers, business owners, and community leaders.