Day 3: Black History Month Feature: Milla Granson

In Natchez, Louisiana, there were two schools taught by colored teachers. One of these was a slave woman who had taught a midnight school for a year. It was opened at eleven or twelve o’clock at night, and closed at two o’clock am…Milla Granson, the teacher, learned to read and write from the children of her indulgent master in her old Kentucky home. Her number of schools was twelve at a time, and when she had taught those to read and write she dismissed them, and again took her apostolic number and brought them up to the extent of her ability, until she had graduated hundreds. A number of them wrote their own passes and started for Canada.


At length her night-school project leaked out, and was for a time suspended; but it was not known that seven of the twelve years subsequent to leaving Kentucky had been spent in this work. Much excitement over her night-school was produced. The subject was discussed in their legislature, and a bill was passed, that it should not be held illegal for a slave to teach a slave. She not only [re] opened her night- school, but a Sabbath school. Milla Granson used as good language as any of the White people.

Milla Granson learned to read and write through the exceptional indulgence of her white masters. She used her skills not to advance her own status, but to help her fellow slaves, and this under the most difficult circumstances. The act of a Black person teaching and sharing knowledge was viewed as naturally threatening to the power structure. The knowledge she conveyed had a politically and materially transforming function, that is, it empowered people to gain freedom.

-except from HOW HAS THE ROLE OF BLACK WOMEN SCHOLARS IN AMERICA ADVANCED THE BLACK RACE ON A COLLEGIATE LEVEL? by Chaneal D. Conway