The first Black nurse during the U.S. Civil War
At age 14, helped organize a school for African-American children
The first Black woman to publish a memoir about U.S. wartime experiences

Born enslaved in 1848, Susie King Taylor had a remarkable life, learning to read and write in secret and eventually escaping to freedom in the South Carolina Sea Islands. There at age 14, she helped organize a school for African-American children. She also became a nurse and laundress for the 33rd United States Colored Infantry Regiment and taught many Black soldiers to read and write in their off-duty hours. Susie King Taylor: Destined to be Free is the inspiring story of a courageous women who in the face of tremendous adversity, made history and forged a career dedicated to serving her people.