Sarah Louise Delany facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sarah Louise Delany
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| Born | September 19, 1889 Lynch's Station, Campbell County, Virginia, U.S.
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| Died | January 25, 1999 (aged 109) Mount Vernon, New York, U.S.
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| Other names | Sadie Delany |
| Alma mater | St. Augustine's College Pratt Institute, A.A. Columbia University, B.A., M.A. |
| Occupation | Educator, author, activist |
| Family | Samuel R. Delany (nephew) |
Sarah Louise "Sadie" Delany (born September 19, 1889 – died January 25, 1999) was an American teacher and a leader in the civil rights movement. She became famous along with her younger sister, Elizabeth "Bessie" Delany, for their bestselling book, Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. This book was an oral history, meaning it was written by recording their spoken stories.
Sadie was the first African-American person allowed to teach home economics (which was called domestic science back then) in high schools in New York City. She became well-known at the age of 103 when her book was published.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
Sadie Delany was the second oldest of ten children. Her parents were Reverend Henry Beard Delany and Nanny Logan Delany. Her father was the first black person to become a Bishop in the Episcopal Church in the United States. Her mother was also a teacher.
Sadie was born in Lynch Station, Virginia. She grew up on the campus of St. Augustine's School (now St. Augustine's University) in Raleigh, North Carolina. Her father was the Vice-Principal there, and her mother was a teacher and administrator. Sadie graduated from St. Augustine's in 1910.
A Pioneer in Education
In 1916, Sadie moved to New York City. She studied at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Later, she went to Columbia University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in education in 1920. She then earned a master's degree in education in 1925.
Sadie worked as a schoolteacher in New York City until she retired in 1960. She made history by becoming the first black person allowed to teach home economics at the high school level in New York City. This was a big step forward for African Americans in education.
Later Life
Sadie Delany lived to be 109 years old. She passed away in Mount Vernon, New York, where she had lived for many years. She is buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Raleigh, North Carolina.
The Delany Sisters' Story
In 1991, Sadie and her sister Bessie were interviewed by a journalist named Amy Hearth. Amy wrote a newspaper story about them for The New York Times. A book publisher read the story and asked Amy to write a full book about the sisters.
Sharing Their Lives
Amy Hearth and the Delany sisters worked together for two years. They created the book Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. This book shared the challenges and triumphs the sisters had experienced throughout their long lives. The book was very popular and stayed on The New York Times bestseller list for 105 weeks!
The book later became a Broadway play in 1995 and a television movie in 1999. Both the play and the movie were produced by Judith R. James and Dr. Camille O. Cosby.
In 1994, the sisters and Amy Hearth published another book called The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom. After Bessie passed away in 1995 at age 104, Sadie Delany and Amy Hearth wrote a third book. It was called On My Own At 107: Reflections on Life Without Bessie.
Family Connections
Sadie had many siblings. Here are their names:
- Lemuel Thackara Delany (1887–1956)
- Annie Elizabeth ("Bessie") Delany (1891–1995)
- Julia Emery Delany (1893–1974)
- Henry Delany, Jr. (1895–1991)
- Lucius Delany (1897–1969)
- William Manross Delany (1899–1955)
- Hubert Thomas Delany (1901–1990)
- Laura Edith Delany (1903–1993)
- Samuel Ray Delany (1906–1965)
Sadie Delany was the aunt of the famous science fiction writer Samuel R. Delany Jr. He was the son of her youngest brother.
