In honor of Charlotte Forten, Salem State's first African-American graduate, Class of 1856, the university has established the Charlotte Forten Scholarship in her memory.
Charlotte Forten (Salem Normal School 1856) was an abolitionist, writer, poet, educator, translator, and women’s rights advocate. Born in 1837 to a prominent Philadelphia African American abolitionist family. Charlotte was a tireless advocate for the end of slavery; equality for women and people of color; and education for all. Her life embodied activism and social justice.