In 1837, Marie Couvent, a native of Guinea and a free woman of color in New Orleans passed away, leaving a will that called for the establishment of a school for orphans in the Faubourg Marigny. The Société Catholique pour L'Instruction des Orphelins dans L'Indigence was a group of free men of color who formed during the mid-1840s in order to uphold Couvent's will. Couvent's philanthropy and the Société's efforts led to the founding of the Institute Catholique des Orphelins Indigent (Catholic Institute for Indigent Orphans) in 1848. It was considered the first free school for children of color in the United States.
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