On this day, Mary Jane Patterson became the first African American woman in the United States to earn a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree. She received this historic honor from Oberlin College, a progressive institution known for its early commitment to coeducation and racial integration. Patterson later became a pioneering educator and served as the first Black principal of the Preparatory High School for Colored Youth (now Dunbar High School) in Washington, D.C., laying groundwork for generations of African American academic excellence.
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