She died in Freetown on 24 January 1960, aged 91. Importance in today’s society Adelaide Smith Casely Hayford paved the way for young girls in her home country to be able to go to school and learn skills that they otherwise might not have been able to learn on their own. Adelaide gave women the right to learn and to speak for themselves but to also persuade mothers to raise their children in their home country so that they could be immersed in the culture that they were born into. Legacy and honours Casely-Hayford earned several awards from the colonial government in recognition of her contributions to the people of Sierra Leona. 1935: she was awarded the King's Silver Jubilee Medal. 1949: she received the MBE. Asteroid 6848 Casely-Hayford, discovered by American astronomers Eleanor Helin and Schelte Bus at Palomar Observatory in 1978, was named in her memory. The official was published by the Minor Planet Center on 27 August 2019 (). References External links Langston Hughes, African Treasury: Articles, Essays, Stories, Poems (1960; reprint Pyramid Press, 1966) 1868 births 1960 deaths Adelaide People from Freetown Sierra Leone women's rights activists Sierra Leone Creole people Sierra Leonean people of Caribbean descent Sierra Leonean women writers State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart alumni Sierra Leonean feminists Sierra Leonean people of British descent Sierra Leonean people of Jamaican descent Sierra Leoneans of Jamaican Maroon descent People of Jamaican Maroon descent Sierra Leonean people of Ghanaian descent Sierra Leonean expatriates in Germany African people of Caribbean descent People educated at the Jersey College for Girls