Teachers have important jobs. They help students learn about the world. Lucy Diggs Slowe was a teacher. She worked at a time when Black women had few opportunities. Slowe didn’t let that stop her. She made history along the way!
Lucy Diggs Slowe was born on July 4, 1883. She was the youngest of seven children. Her parents died when she was very young. So, Slowe was raised by her aunt, Martha Slowe Price. Martha moved the Slowe family to Baltimore, Maryland. She thought the schools there would be better.
At the time, many schools across the United States were . Slowe attended the Baltimore Colored High and Training School from 1896 to 1904. She earned a to attend Howard University in Washington, D.C.
Howard is a historically Black school. Slowe studied English there. She took up tennis as a hobby. In 1908, Slowe was one of the nine Howard students who founded Alpha Kappa Alpha. It was the first in the country created by Black women.
Slowe graduated from Howard in 1908. She began working as a high school teacher in Baltimore. Then, in 1915, she received a degree in English from Columbia University. Meanwhile, Slowe kept up her tennis skills. In 1917, she entered a in Baltimore. It was hosted by the American Tennis Association. She took the top prize in the women’s singles contest. This made her the first Black woman in the country to win a major sports contest!
In 1919, Slowe became the principal at a junior high school for Black students in Washington. Slowe was responsible for creating lesson plans. She also trained teachers at the school. Three years later, Slowe received an offer she couldn’t refuse. Howard University asked her to become the school’s Dean of Women. Slowe accepted. In 1922, she became the first Black woman to have that top job.
As the dean, Slowe worked to improve the school and support students. She helped create groups that encouraged women to pursue higher education. One was the National Association of College Women. She served as its first president. In 1931, Slowe created three new for women at Howard. She thought they were important for the students’ wellbeing.
Slowe continued to support education. In 1933, Slowe published an article called “Higher Education of Negro Women.” She wrote that “education must fit [Black] women… for the highest development of their own gifts.” Slowe added that it was important for women to “understand the world they live in.” They should also be “prepared to make their contribution to it.”
Slowe was a dean at Howard until her death in 1937. In 1942, Howard University honored Slowe by naming a new building after her. Lucy Diggs Slowe Hall still stands in Washington, D.C., today.
By Tyler Burdick
Updated February 19, 2025, 5:00 P.M. (ET)
