Septima Clark established Citizenship Schools across the South, training Black citizens in literacy, voting rights, and leadership, enabling mass voter registration and community organizing during the Civil Rights era.
Septima Clark (1919–1998) was a teacher and activist from South Carolina who founded the Citizenship Schools in the late 1950s. These schools taught Black adults how to read, pass voter registration tests, and organize for civil rights. Over 50,000 people attended these schools, many becoming local leaders. Clark worked closely with Highlander Folk School and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). Her work was foundational to the Voter Education Project and the 1964 Voting Rights Act. She was also a mentor to many young activists, including Diane Nash and Septima Poinsette Clark.
