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Charlotte Forten
Charlotte Forten
1837-1914
Bio
Charlotte Louise Bridges Forten Grimké (1837-1914) was an abolitionist, activist, poet, and educator who is celebrated as the first Black woman to graduate from Salem State University and to teach in Salem Public Schools.
Salem State’s first African American graduate (1856), Charlotte Forten went on to become an abolitionist, educator, writer, poet, translator, and activist for women’s rights. In 2019, Salem’s newest park at 289 Derby Street was named Charlotte Forten Park in her honor.
