Lucy Craft Laney

Georgia's most influential educational leaders. As a child of Georgia she is in league with other outstanding black hero's from Georgia such as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Civil Rights Leader and Dr. Henry McNeil Turner, the first black chaplain in the U.S. Army and the first black in the Georgia Legislature. Ms. Laney's contributions in the area of education are a tribute to perseverance, dedication and unwavering faith.Birth of an American Hero

Ms. Lucy Craft Laney was born in Macon, Georgia on April 13, 1854, eleven years before slavery ended. She was the seventh of ten children born to Rev. and Mrs. David Laney. Rev. Laney was a noteworthy Presbyterian minister and an outstanding carpenter. Using the money he saved doing side jobs, Mr. Laney was able to purchase his wife's freedom and promise his children a better life.

Although, there were laws that prohibited blacks from reading during Ms. Laney's time, with the help of Ms. Campbell, the slave owner's sister, Lucy was able to read by the time she was four. Ms. Campbell's generosity and her parent's open-arm policy with strangers and family taught Lucy the importance of giving and sharing. These lessons would be the foundation for her success. In 1869 at the age of 15, Lucy entered the first class of Atlanta University. In 1873, she graduated with three other students and went on to start a teaching career that would change the lives of an entire community of people and influence the nation.Educating the Children of the People
Ms. Laney began her teaching career in Macon and Savannah before, due to health reasons, settling in Augusta, Georgia. With the encouragement of the Christ Presbyterian Church, USA, Ms. Laney started the first school in Augusta, Georgia for black boys and girls. The school opened on January 6, 1883 in the basement of the Christ Presbyterian Church then on 10 and Telfair Street with little money and only six students. Ms. Laney did not have much, but what she did have was dedication and determination, which would prove to be all this unique woman would need. In 1885, the first class was graduated from Ms. Laney's school. By that time, the school had 234 students and needed a bigger facility and more money.A Lesson in Perseverance

Armed with a one-way ticket, only a little money, her prayers and her desire, Ms. Laney traveled to Minnesota to tell the Presbyterian Church Convention about her school and to request funding so that they could expand. Unfortunately, although Ms. Laney spoke well, she was unable to convince the Convention to commit to funding her school. However, they did pay for her return trip home. Ms. Laney was unsure how she would proceed from there, but knew that her mission was a good one and that her school would continue. Shortly after her trip to Minnesota, Ms. Laney received a letter from Mrs. Francine E. H. Haines, President of the Woman's Department of the Presbyterian Church, USA who had heard her speak at the convention. Mrs. Haines was so impressed with Ms. Laney and her mission that she was able to secure funding for the expansion of the school in the amount of $10,000.00. Ms. Laney was so touched by the kindness of this stranger that she named the new school the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute. In 1886, the Haines Normal School was chartered by the state of Georgia and moved into its new location at 800 Gwinnett (Laney-Walker Blvd.) Street.A Modern Day Woman

Ms. Laney was a forward thinking person. She believed that the only way for blacks to be successful in America was by being well educated. She also believed that in order for the race to continue its women's must be educated as well. Ms. Laney's students studied the classics, Latin, Algebra, and various trades. Ms. Laney produced well-rounded young adults who also studied the arts and music and participated in sports. Ms. Laney assured that students who graduated from Haines Normal were ready to compete in society.Caring for Her People

In addition to starting her own school, the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute, Ms. Laney started the first black kindergarten in Augusta, Georgia and the first black nursing school in the city, the Lamar School of Nursing. Many people were influenced by the work that Ms. Laney did at Haines. Ms. Mary McCloud Bethune who worked with Ms. Laney for a year was so impressed by Ms. Laney's accomplishments that she went back to Florida and founded Bethune-Cookman College for Blacks.A Worthy Honoree
Throughout her life Ms. Laney received many honors. President Ware of Atlanta University paid many tributes to her and she receive several honorary degrees from various other colleges and universities. After her death, the Lucy Craft Laney High School was named in her honor, Gwinnett Street was renamed Laney-Walker Boulevard in her honor and that of Dr. Charles T. Walker, pastor, civic leader, founder of Tabernacle Baptist Church and co-founder of Atlanta University. There are several other schools throughout the USA that have been named in Ms. Laney's honor. In 1974, in honor of her contributions to Georgia and its children, the portrait of Ms. Laney was commissioned and unveiled in the Georgia State Capitol. After her home was restored in 1991, it was opened as the Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History in an effort to continue to keep Ms. Laney's memory alive.HerLegacy Lives On

After a life of selfless dedication to the education of her people Ms. Laney died on October 23, 1933 from nephritis and hypertension. However, Ms. Laney's spirit lives on and her strong legacy continues to this day.

(Lucy Craft Laney Museum of Black History. (2010).  About Ms. Lucy Craft Laney. Retrieved from, http://www.lucycraftlaneymuseum.com/about_laney.htm)