Corilla Beard Smith

Corilla Beard was born in Detroit, Michigan in the 1840s. Her father, an ex-slave, had established a successful laundry business after coming to Detroit in the 1830s, and his financial success allowed for his children to be educated. While in Detroit, Corilla married a Southern man Henry Smith and, soon after, in 1867, the couple moved to Murfreesboro, TN. Henry found work as a blacksmith, and Corilla opened a school for former slaves. In addition to teaching the core curriculum of reading, writing, and arithmetic, Corilla also conducted voice lessons for her students in the evenings. Her school, as was typical of many freedmen's schools, had students representative of several generations. 

While in Murfreesboro, Corilla gave birth to a daughter, Emma Azalia, born in 1867. Concern for her growing family led Corilla to close her school after only three years. Her humanitarian efforts in Murfreesboro were met with intense opposition from aggressive groups such as the Ku Klux Klan. In addition to threats, rocks and other missles would be hurled through the windows of the school while Corilla conducted evening singing lessons. In 1870, Corilla and her family returned to Detroit. [7]

Corilla Beard Smith's sense of humanitarianism was an important legacy that was carried on through her daughter, Emma Azalia Hackley (1867-1922). Sharing her mother's love for music, Emma received a music degree from Denver University and later went on to study opera. However, rather than pursue a professional career, Emma devoted herself to African-American rights and humanitarian causes. She founded both the Colored Women's League and the Imperial Order of Libyans (an organization designed to combat racism and promote patriotism among African-Americans). [8]