Citizenship Schools 2Septima Poinsette Clark, also known as the "mother of the civil rights movement," (Crawford, 1993, p. 96) used education to empower others. His life's work gave many people in the segregated South the opportunity to learn to read and write so they could fully participate in a democratic society by exercising their right to vote. The purpose of this article is to discuss Clark's philosophy of education and the events that shaped that philosophy. According to Max Hunter, (2011) “in 1954, Clark began teaching at the Highlander Folk School in Monteagle, Tennessee, where he developed his pedagogy of citizenship” (para. 2). The pedagogy Hunter references developed because of the racism, sexism, and discrimination Clark experienced while teaching in the public school system in and around Charleston, South Carolina. Along with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) fought for Black teachers to receive pay equal to that of their White colleagues (“AdultEducation,” n.d.). He also fought for and won the right for blacks to become principals in the Charleston school district (Wikipedia, 2011, para. 5). According to Lewis (2003), the school board fired Clark after she had taught for 40 years because she refused to renounce her membership in the NAACP (Brief Portrait section, para. 4). Later, she was the first African American member on the same board (Sears, 2000, para. 19). All of these experiences have shaped her work as an activist, feminist, and civil rights advocate. The Foundation That Paved the Way Clark's Achievements and Contributions... half of paper... (2008). The life of Septima Clark [Review of the book Freedom's Teacher: The lifeof Septima Clark, by KM Charron]. The John Perkins Center. Retrieved from http://www.spu.edu/depts/perkins/about/perspective/2010-spring/Freedoms-Teacher.aspLabaree, D. F. (1997). Public goods, private goods: the American struggle over educational objectives. American Educational Research Journal, 34(1), 39-81.Lewis, S. K. (2010). Women's History Month Celebration-Septima Poinsette Clark (1898-1987). Retrieved from http://sistermentors.org/celebratingtenth.htmVeterans of the Civil Rights Movement, (n.d.). School of citizenship (1954-196?). Retrieved from http://www.crmvet.org/tim/timhis54.htm#1954-Wikipedia. (n.d.). Septima Poinsette Clark: NAACP involvement. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Septima_Poinsette_Clark