Mary Church Terrell was a prominent African American civil rights activist, suffragist, and educator in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She was born in 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee, to a well-educated and affluent family.

Terrell was known for her advocacy for both racial and gender equality. She was one of the first African American women in the United States to earn a college degree, graduating from Oberlin College in 1884. Throughout her life, she was a vocal supporter of women's suffrage, co-founding the National Association of Colored Women and working with the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Terrell was a tireless advocate for civil rights and social justice, speaking out against lynching, segregation, and discrimination. She was a founding member of the NAACP and worked alongside other civil rights leaders such as W.E.B. Du Bois and Ida B. Wells.

Terrell's activism extended to her work as an educator and writer. She wrote extensively on issues of race, gender, and education, and she worked as a teacher and principal in Washington, D.C.

Throughout her life, Mary Church Terrell fought for the rights and dignity of African Americans and women, leaving a lasting legacy in the fight for equality. She passed away in 1954, but her contributions to the civil rights movement continue to inspire activists today.