Blanche Wilkins Williams facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Blanche Wilkins Williams
Born	December 1, 1876  La Crosse
Died	March 24, 1936  (aged 59) Evanston
Resting place	Lincoln Cemetery
Occupation	Teacher

Blanche Wilkins Williams (born December 1, 1876 – died March 24, 1936) was an American teacher who helped deaf children. In 1893, she became the first African American woman to graduate from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. A well-known newspaper for deaf people called her "the most talented deaf lady of her race in America."

Early Life and Education

Blanche Hilyard Wilkins was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on December 1, 1876. She became deaf when she was very young.

From 1883 to 1893, Blanche went to the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. She made history as the first Black woman to graduate from this school. She wanted to go to Gallaudet College, a famous school for deaf students. She wrote to its president, Edward Miner Gallaudet, many times. However, she was not allowed to attend because the school did not accept Black students until 1950.

Teaching Career

In 1895, Blanche joined the North Carolina School for the Colored Deaf and Blind in Raleigh. She worked in the literary department, teaching students. By 1897, she earned a salary of $250. Blanche and other Black deaf teachers were important role models. They showed their students that deaf people could be leaders.

In 1898, she left her job in North Carolina. She took a new teaching position at the School for the Colored Deaf and Blind in Austin, Texas. She worked there for only one year before returning to Raleigh. In 1899, Blanche married Charles N. Williams. He was the hearing African American principal of the North Carolina school.

Blanche started a new department at the Raleigh school. She taught deaf students how to sew and make dresses. She also taught blind students how to crochet and knit. Sadly, her husband died suddenly in 1907. This left her with two children to raise on her own.

In 1910, Blanche applied for a job at the Maryland School for the Deaf. However, she was not hired. The school stated they did not believe in "social equality" between white and Black people. Around 1918, Blanche moved her family to Chicago.

Life in Chicago

In Chicago, Blanche worked in several factories. She did beadwork, made lampshades, and used power sewing machines. She also continued to teach young Black deaf children. She worked at a school for the deaf in Chicago.

In 1920, she married her second husband, Thomas Flowers. They had worked together in Raleigh and both had lost their first spouses. Blanche and Thomas were active in missionary work in the Chicago area.

Blanche Wilkins Williams passed away in Evanston, Illinois, on March 24, 1936. She is buried in Lincoln Cemetery near Chicago.

Her Impact and Legacy

Blanche Wilkins Williams was the first Black deaf person to serve on the Executive Committee of the National Association of the Deaf. This was a big achievement because Black people were not allowed to be members of the NAD until 1965.

In 1926, a newspaper called The Silent Worker wrote a special article about Blanche. It said that thanks to her excellent education, she became "the most accomplished deaf lady of her race in America."

In 2018, a new student dorm at the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf was named Wilkins Hall. This was done to honor her important contributions.