Kofoworola Ademola was the first black African woman to achieve a degree at Oxford

Kofoworola Ademola was the first black African woman to achieve a degree at Oxford

She arrived at Oxford University in 1932 to study English at St Hugh’s College, and determined to pursue a teaching career.

She is also known for writing a first-hand account about her experiences in Britain, which appeared in colonial expert Margery Perham’s 1936 edited collection, Ten Africans.

She arrived at St Hugh’s College in 1932 to study English and pursue a teaching career. She went on went on to become an important figure in the education sector and women’s organisations, such as the Red Cross.

She was eventually a awarded membership of the Order of the British Empire, OBE.

She navigated a male-dominated world to maintain and promote her identity, and fundamentally her passion for empowering and enriching the lives of girls and young women through education.

Source: Oxford University archives
Claire Modupe Odia