Caroline LeCount: The Educator Who Rode for Rights

Caroline LeCount: The Educator Who Rode for Rights

Caroline Rebecca LeCount arrived in the world around 1846 in South Philadelphia, the daughter of James LeCount, a cabinetmaker and undertaker likely involved in the Underground Railroad—hiding fugitives in coffins, much like her future counterpart Henrietta Duterte. Growing up in a family of four siblings, Caroline was a prodigy, topping her five-student class at the Institute for Colored Youth (now Cheyney University) in 1863 with a near-perfect score.Her career as an educator began immediately, but LeCount's fire for justice ignited during the Civil War. As Black Philadelphians supported Union troops at Camp William Penn, streetcar segregation became a daily indignity. In 1867, at just 21, LeCount—engaged to activist Octavius V. Catto—tested Pennsylvania's new anti-discrimination law by boarding a segregated car. When denied, she filed complaints, enduring threats and arrests but securing a $100 fine against a conductor. Her persistence helped desegregate all 18 of Philadelphia's streetcar companies by 1867, earning her the moniker "Philly's Rosa Parks" a century early.By 1868, LeCount had risen to principal of the Ohio Street School, becoming only the second Black woman in that role in the city. She fiercely defended Black teachers against claims of inferiority, highlighting their higher certification standards. A gifted orator and poet, she collaborated with W.E.B. Du Bois on The Philadelphia Negro (1899), providing vital data on Black urban life. Even personal tragedy— Catto's assassination in 1871 during election riots—couldn't dim her resolve. Retiring in 1911, LeCount passed away on January 24, 1923, and is buried at Eden Cemetery. Her rides weren't just commutes; they were revolutions.