Letitia Degraft Okyere

Phillis Wheatley Letitia Degraft Okyere

Phillis Wheatley was about seven years old when kidnapped and sold to slave traders. She endured the horrifying journey to Boston, Massachusetts, in 1761. In her owners' home, she learned to read and write English and began to compose poetry. Due to racism in the North American colonies at the time, an English agent published her book in Great Britain. Wheatley became the first Black poet in America. She proved that Africans or Black people have creative abilities and opened the door for the acceptance of literary works by people of African descent. Today, buildings, societies, and clubs are named in Wheatley's honor.