Born: 1876 (La Crosse, Wisconsin)
Died: 1936 (Evanston, Illinois)
Blanche Wilkins Williams (December 1, 1876 – March 24, 1936) was an American educator of deaf children. In 1893, she became the first African American woman to graduate from the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. She was described by a prominent deaf newspaper as the most accomplished deaf lady of her race in America.
Blanche Hilyard Wilkins was born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, on December 1, 1876. She became deaf at an early age. Wilkins attended the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf from 1883 to 1893, and was the first Black woman to graduate from the school. Despite her talent and aspirations, she faced significant adversity in pursuing higher education. She wrote to Edward Miner Gallaudet several times, asking for information on admission to Gallaudet College, but she was rejected. Gallaudet would not admit a Black student until 1950.
Undeterred by the limitations imposed on her, Blanche Wilkins Williams embarked on a remarkable career in the field of education. In 1895, she joined the literary department of the North Carolina School for the Colored Deaf and Blind in Raleigh. Within two years, she became a respected member of the faculty, being paid a salary of $250 in 1897. Williams and other Black deaf teachers served as role models for their students, proving that deaf people could assume leadership positions.
In 1898, Blanche Wilkins Williams took a new teaching position at the School for the Colored Deaf and Blind in Austin, Texas. However, her time there was brief, and she returned to Raleigh the following year. In 1899, she married Charles N. Williams, the hearing African American principal of the North Carolina school. Blanche organized a new department for the Raleigh school, teaching sewing and dressmaking to deaf students, as well as crocheting and knitting to blind students.
Tragedy struck in 1907 when Blanche’s husband, Charles, passed away suddenly, leaving her with two children to raise. Despite this immense loss, she remained determined to pursue her passions and dedicated herself to providing opportunities for deaf children.
In 1910, Blanche Wilkins Williams applied for a teaching position at the Maryland School for the Deaf. However, she faced blatant discrimination and was rejected based on the school’s belief that colored and white people should not be socially equal. Undeterred, Williams continued to strive for equality and access to education for all deaf individuals.
Around 1918, Blanche Wilkins Williams and her family relocated to Chicago. There, she found employment in various factory jobs, including beadwork, lampshade work, and power machine sewing. Despite the demanding nature of her work, she never lost sight of her true calling and continued to educate young, deaf black children at a school for the deaf in Chicago.
In 1920, Blanche Wilkins Williams married her second husband, Thomas Flowers. Both widowers, they had previously worked together in Raleigh. Alongside her husband, Williams became actively involved in missionary work in the Chicago area, further demonstrating her commitment to serving others.
Blanche Wilkins Williams’s life was tragically cut short when she passed away in Evanston, Illinois on March 24, 1936. She was laid to rest in Lincoln Cemetery near Chicago, leaving behind a profound legacy.
Wilkins was a trailblazer in the deaf community and made significant contributions to the advancement of deaf education. She shattered barriers and became the first Black deaf person to serve on the executive committee of the National Association of the Deaf (NAD). This achievement was extraordinary considering that Black individuals were not allowed membership in the NAD until 1965. Blanche Wilkins Williams’s dedication to inclusivity and her unwavering commitment to deaf education left an indelible mark on society.