Educator, journalist, and activist for social and educational reform, Fanny Jackson Coppin had a passion for and dedication to her work that foreshadowed the contributions of many African-American women. Born into slavery, Coppin was the second African-American woman to graduate from Oberlin College. A noted classical scholar, she devoted her life to the education of African-American children.

This volume, originally published posthumously in 1913, is a four-part work composed of an autobiographical sketch (including an account of her classical studies at Oberlin and her role as teacher and first black woman principal of a high school - the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia); an essay setting forth her views and theories on education; a travelogue on her journeys to England and South Africa; and a description of her work as a missionary and educational activist in South Africa.