Charlotte Maxeke

Charlotte Makgomo Manye was born on April 7, 1871, in Fort Beaufort, Eastern Cape. A gifted singer with the African Jubilee Choir, she toured Britain and the United States, performing for Queen Victoria. In 1901, she graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Wilberforce University in Ohio, breaking historical barriers as the first Black South African woman to earn a university degree.

Returning to South Africa with her husband Marshall Maxeke, she founded the Wilberforce Institute at Evaton. In 1918, she established the Bantu Women's League (predecessor to the ANC Women's League), leading the historic anti-pass demonstrations in Bloemfontein. She served as South Africa's first Black probation officer and was an indispensable founding force of the African National Congress in 1912.