Septima Poinsette Clark was born on in Charleston, South Carolina, May 3, 1898, the second of eight children. Her father—who had been born a slave—and mother both encouraged her to get an education. Clark attended public school, then worked to earn the money needed to attend the Avery Normal Institute, a private school for African Americans. She is an Educator and Civil Rights Leader viewed as the Grandmother of the Civil Rights movement working with many organizations including the SCLC and NAACP in leadership roles.