Alfred Murphy in literacy class   Save
Ohio Guide Photographs
Description: Caption reads: "People at work & play - Alfred Murphy. Never too old to learn. That's the slogan of Alfred Murphy, 105 year old ex-slave, a pupil in a literary class conducted by the WPA in Columbus, Ohio. Mr. Murphy lived 33 years in slavery, spent two years in the Confederate Army, throwing up breastwork. He was at Richmond when General Lee surrendered. Unemployed teachers, hired by the WPA, are teaching 9,000 Ohioans to read and write. Ohio has 320,000 illiterates, America, 3,200,000." View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: SA1039AV_B15F05_008_001
Subjects: African American Ohioans; Students; Literacy; Works Progress Administration; Adult education--Ohio
Places: Columbus (Ohio); Franklin County (Ohio)