Born a slave, an aunt bought Fanny’s freedom for $125 and then sent her to school in Rhode Island.

Coppin was one of the first black women in the United States to receive a college degree. After graduating from Oberlin College in Ohio, she began to teach newly freed slaves.

In 1865, she was hired to teach at the Institute for Colored Youth in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, later becoming the school principal. The school is known as Cheyney University in Pennsylvania today.

Coppin State College in Baltimore, Maryland was named in honor of Fanny’s dedication to education.