Who am I I was born into slaver and rose to lead the Tuskegee institute. I felt that African as well as African Americans needed to help themselves for economic improvemnt.?

You are Booker T. Washington, an influential African American educator, author, and advisor to several U.S. presidents. Born into slavery in 1856, you founded the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama, focusing on vocational training to empower African Americans economically. You advocated for self-help and practical education as a means to achieve social and economic advancement.