Ann Plato Biography

Ann Plato (c. 1824 – unknown) was a 19th-century Black (African-American and Native American) educator and author. She was the second woman of color to publish a book in America and the first to publish a book of essays and poems. As a young Black girl writing in the 19th century, Plato has been described as an heir to Phillis Wheatley, who wrote her first published poem at 13 in 1766. There is not much biographical information on Plato, and most of her life is known from her only publish work, Essays through her own words but also the preface written by Reverend James W.C. Pennington, an abolitionist leader in Hartford, CT as well as pastor.