Mary Church Terrell

The New York Historical Society recently highlighted the legacy of Mary Church Terrell.  She was born in Memphis, Tennessee in 1864. Terrell was sent to Ohio for a formal education as a young girl, where she  graduated from high school and attended Oberlin College.  She was one of only two black women in her graduating class.  After college, Terrell began her career as a teacher.  In 1892, she founded the Colored Women’s League in Washington D.C. which provided education and assistance to Black mothers and children.  Her dedication to improve Black communities sparked an appointment to the Board of Education for Washington D.C and nomination to the National Association of Colored Women.  She was one of the few suffrage advocates who spoke out against racism within the suffrage movement.  She publicly denounced racism while supporting gender equality. Terrell's story reflects on how difficult and complex it was to be a woman of color in the early 1900’s.  Her advocacy encouraged the likes of Frances E.W. Harper to speak up and speak out.