Terrell, Mary Eliza Church

Terrell, Mary Eliza Church

▪ American social activist
née  Mary Eliza Church 
born Sept. 23, 1863, Memphis, Tenn., U.S.
died July 24, 1954, Annapolis, Md.
 American social activist who was cofounder and first president of the National Association of Colored Women. She was an early civil rights advocate, an educator, an author, and a lecturer on woman suffrage and rights for African Americans.

      Mary Church was the daughter of Robert Reed Church and Louisa Ayers Church, both former slaves prominent in the growing black community of Memphis, Tennessee. Both parents owned small, successful businesses, and they provided “Mollie” and her brother with advantages that few other African American children of her time enjoyed. She received a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in Ohio in 1884. She taught languages at Wilberforce University and at a black secondary school in Washington, D.C. After a two-year tour of Europe, she completed a master's degree from Oberlin (1888) and married Robert Heberton Terrell, a lawyer who would become the first black municipal court judge in the nation's capital.

      An early advocate of women's rights (women's movement), Terrell was an active member of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, addressing in particular the concerns of black women. In 1896 she became the first president of the newly formed National Association of Colored Women, an organization that under her leadership worked to achieve educational and social reform and an end to discriminatory practices. Appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Education in 1895, Terrell was the first black woman to hold such a position. At the suggestion of W.E.B. Du Bois, she was made a charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and in 1949 she gained entrance to the Washington chapter of the American Association of University Women, bringing to an end its policy of excluding blacks.

      An articulate spokeswoman, adept political organizer, and prolific writer, Terrell addressed a wide range of social issues in her long career, including the Jim Crow law, lynching, and the convict lease system. Her last act as an activist was to lead a successful three-year struggle against segregation in public eating places and hotels in the nation's capital. Her autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World, appeared in 1940.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Mary Church Terrell — (September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954), daughter of former slaves, was one of the first African American women to earn a college degree. She became an activist who led several important associations and worked for civil rights and suffrage.… …   Wikipedia

  • National Association of Colored Women — ▪ American organization   American organization formed at a convention in Washington, D.C., as the product of the merger in 1896 of the National Federation of Afro American Women and the National League of Colored Women organizations that had… …   Universalium

  • September 23 — It is frequently the day of the autumn Equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and the day of the Vernal Equinox in the Southern Hemisphere.Events*1122 Concordat of Worms. *1459 Battle of Blore Heath, the first major battle of the English Wars of the …   Wikipedia

  • Anna J. Cooper — Infobox actor bgcolour = orange name = Anna J. Cooper birthname = Anna Julia Haywood Cooper birthdate = August 10 1858 location = Raleigh, North Carolina, USA deathdate = February 27, 1964 (age 105) deathplace = Washington, DC, United States… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Einträge im National Register of Historic Places im Fayette County (Texas) — Die Liste der Registered Historic Places im Fayette County führt alle Bauwerke und historischen Stätten im texanischen Fayette County auf, die in das National Register of Historic Places aufgenommen wurden. Aktuelle Einträge Lfd. Nr. Name im NRHP …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • The Dinner Party — For other works with this title, see Dinner Party The Dinner Party is an installation artwork by feminist artist Judy Chicago depicting place settings for 39 mythical and historical famous women. It was produced from 1974 to 1979 as a… …   Wikipedia

  • Этаж наследия — «Этаж наследия» (англ. Heritage Floor)  композиция, составляющая единый объект с инсталляцией «Званый ужин» Джуди Чикаго, отдающей дань уважения достижениям и тяготам женского труда и имеющей форму треугольного банкетного стола на 39… …   Википедия

  • Delta Sigma Theta — ΔΣΘ Founded January 13, 1913 (1913 01 13) …   Wikipedia

  • List of Delta Sigma Theta sisters — Below is the list of Delta Sigma Theta sisters (commonly referred to as Deltas ). Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated (ΔΣΘ) was founded on January 13, 1913, at Howard University. [http://www.deltasigmatheta.org/cms/index.php?option=com… …   Wikipedia

  • Liste der Einträge im National Register of Historic Places im Dallas County (Texas) — Die Liste der Registered Historic Places im Dallas County führt alle Bauwerke und historischen Stätten im texanischen Dallas County auf, die in das National Register of Historic Places aufgenommen wurden. Aktuelle Einträge Lfd. Nr. Name im NRHP… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”