Benjamin Banneker Institute Established Timelines: The Catto Years

William Catto, William Still and others form the Banneker Institute for “improving mental faculties”. The Institute, named to honor Benjamin Banneker, was an elite literary association. It became an important forum for discussion and political activism among men in Philadelphia’s black community. OV Catto, like many of his friends, joined their father as a member, when they graduated from ICY.