Content Warning: This section discusses issues of racism and sexism.

Anna J. Cooper was born in 1858 in Raleigh, North Carolina, during the period African Americans' enslavement. As a child, Cooper developed a love of learning and aspired to be a teacher. Following the abolition of slavery in 1865 and African American emancipation, she received a scholarship to attend the newly established Saint Augustine's Normal School and Collegiate Institute, which was founded for the education of Black people. During her years in the school, Cooper excelled as a student in liberal arts, as well as in math and science. She began teaching math part-time at the age of 10. At the time, the school reinforced a more rigorous education program for young men, while women were discouraged from pursuing high-level education. Realizing gender disparities, Cooper began to develop a feminist consciousness. She argued for her right to attend courses reserved for male students and was ultimately accepted on the basis of her academic skills.

Cooper married George Cooper, one of her classmates at school, in 1877. He died two years later. Following her husband’s death, Cooper continued her education and enrolled in Oberlin College in Ohio. Among her classmates were Mary Church Terrell and Ida Gibbs, both important activists in the women’s movement.