Sylvanie Williams
Sylvanie Williams Sylvanie Francoz Williams was an American educator and clubwoman based in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Sylvanie Francoz was born in New Orleans, the daughter of François Francoz and Sarah Francoz. The date of her birth varies. She trained as a teacher at Peabody Normal School. Sylvanie F. Williams worked as a school administrator, principal of the Fisk School Girls' Department from 1883 to 1896, and Thomy Lafon School from 1896 to 1921. The latter school was burned down during rioting in 1900, but rebuilt under her leadership. Among the students under her care were A. P. Tureaud, who became a prominent civil rights lawyer and Supreme Court Justice. Williams prepared a report on the educational, economic, and cultural conditions of black residents of New Orleans, to be presented at the World's Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. Williams was founder and president of the Phillis Wheatley Club, a prominent organization for black women in New Orleans. The cl...