Euphemia Lofton Haynes (1890-1980) earned a masters degree in education, and then went on to earn a PhD in math in 1943, the first African American woman to do so. Haynes taught in Washington, DC for almost 50 years; she was also the first woman chair of the DC School Board, where she worked to desegregate the schools. She founded and then chaired the Math department at Miner Teacher's College. She was also heavily involved in community associations on local and national levels. There is a Euphemia Lofton Haynes Chair position in the Department of Education at her alma mater Catholic University, as well as a student loan fund, thanks to a donation she left the school. The E.L. Haynes Public Charter School is named after her.
Learn more:
public domain photo
