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I am from central Illinois, not far from the state capital of Springfield, which I have visited many times. Springfield and Illinois, in general, are all about the "Land of Lincoln." But it wasn't until this month that I learned that the catalyst for the formation of the NAACP was a violent race riot in Springfield, Illinois. That was never taught in my history classes!
As with students today, it wasn’t until college that I learned “real” history. What was and still is taught in high school is white-washed (pun intended). It was an African-American history professor in college who finally taught me “real” American history. However, I still didn’t understand the barriers Black people faced. At that age, as a woman, I thought that being a woman was the greatest barrier I would face as I searched for a career!
Delving more into Black history this month, I am understanding more about the two barriers that Black women faced in the past, and still face today – being Black and being a woman.
Going back to NAACP history, while the initial NAACP organization had African American members, the only African American on the original executive board was W.E.B. Du Bois, as director of publications and research. It was 24 years (1934) before Louis T. Wright became the first Black board chairman. Where were the women? Of course they were always present, but it wasn’t until 1975 that Margaret Bush Wilson became the first woman to chair the National Board of Directors. Her ouster from that position is a tale many women will be familiar with, and I will leave you to learn the details for yourself, but she is quoted as stating to the Washington Post, “I don’t think this would have happened if I was a male.”
Gender discrimination was even to be found in the Civil Rights movement. Dorothy Height was the only woman to serve regularly alongside the “Big Six” men on major civil rights projects. In that role, she helped organize the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would give his “I Have a Dream” speech. While there were six Black women on the stage that day, not one of them was initially invited to speak. Height, along with Anna Arnold Hedgeman, convinced the men that a woman, not a man, should give the speech regarding Black women.
Even within women’s organizations, Black women have faced barriers. We only have to look at ourselves, the League of Women Voters, to know how true this is. Black women were not welcomed with open arms by the suffrage organizations before 1920 or after 1920. It took 72 years for women to obtain the right to vote. It took 78 years (1998) after the formation of the LWV before a Black woman, Carolyn Jefferson-Jenkins, was elected president of the League. And it was not until this past year (2020) that the League elected its second Black woman as president, Dr. Deborah Turner.
Looking at our own history (LWV Broward), we must face the fact that we have not been a welcoming organization. The first meeting of LWV Broward was May 19, 1953 at the Lago Mar Hotel (now the Lago Mar Beach Resort and Club), located on the Fort Lauderdale beach. That date and location tells me that there probably wasn’t a single Black woman at the meeting. Why? The beaches in Broward County were not integrated until 1962, and Broward County was vastly different in the 1950s and 1960s than what many of us know today, with all but one of our county constitutional officers being a person of color. If someone has information that our first meeting in 1953 did welcome a Black woman, I would love to know(melliott@ufl.edu).
Ms. Jamie Black, senior history student at University of Central Florida, is reviewing LWV Broward newsletters from our initial organization as a provisional League until now. Through her eyes, we are seeing our past. Please read her weekly blog posts athttps://leagueofwvunfiled.carrd.co.Below is a paragraph from her January 22 post:
Diving into the records of the LWV of Broward County for the 1960s, I was interested to see the league’s community involvement. The league was heavily involved in the community, but not in the areas I would expect for the time period. The 1960s were the catalyst of the Civil Rights Movement and it would make sense that the Broward league would be involved in the movement because of its history of advocating to vote. However, this was not the case and other issues took precedence.
Again, it shows how the League failed our fellow sisters in Broward County. On behalf of the LWV Broward, I apologize for our past treatment of women of color, and sincerely hope we will be united for all women (and men) as we Empower Voters and Defend Democracy.
Below is the League's statement of commitment to DEI. Now we must act, as individuals and as an organization to fulfill this commitment.
Please read the LWV Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:
LWV is an organization fully committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion in principle and in practice. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are central to the organization’s current and future success in engaging all individuals, households, communities, and policy makers in creating a more perfect democracy.
There shall be no barriers to full participation in this organization on the basis of gender, gender identity, ethnicity, race, native or indigenous origin, age, generation, sexual orientation, culture, religion, belief system, marital status, parental status, socioeconomic status, language, accent, ability status, mental health, educational level or background, geography, nationality, work style, work experience, job role function, thinking style, personality type, physical appearance, political perspective or affiliation and/or any other characteristic that can be identified as recognizing or illustrating diversity.
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