Miriam decosta willis biography

American educator and civil rights leader (–)

Miriam DeCosta-Willis (November 1, – January 7, ) was an American educator, writer, and civil rights activist.

Miriam decosta willis biography wikipedia

The first African-American faculty member at Memphis State University, having previously been denied admission to the school as a graduate student due to her race, she spent her career as a professor of Romance languages and African-American studies at a variety of colleges in Memphis, Tennessee, and the Washington, D.C., area.

She published more than a dozen books throughout her career, largely dealing with Afro-Latino literature and Black Memphis history.

Early life and education

Miriam DeCosta-Willis was born Miriam Dolores DeCosta in Florence, Alabama, in ^[1][2][3][4] The granddaughter of Zachary Hubert, who had been enslaved in Georgia, Alabama, she was born to a pair of African-American educators.^[1][2][5] Her mother, Bea