Anna Arnold Hedgeman facts for kids
Anna Arnold Hedgeman (born July 5, 1899 – died January 17, 1990) was an important African-American leader. She worked for civil rights, was a politician, an educator, and a writer. She helped President Harry S. Truman with his election campaign. Later, she became the first African-American woman to hold a cabinet job in New York City. She was a big supporter of minority groups and people in need. Anna Hedgeman also helped organize the famous 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
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Growing Up and Education
Anna Arnold was born in Marshalltown, Iowa. Her family later moved to Anoka, Minnesota. They were the only African-American family in that small town. But they were very involved in the community. Anna never felt different while growing up. Her family was very active in the Methodist Church and school. Her father taught her to value education and hard work. Anna learned to read at home.
In 1918, Anna finished Anoka High School. She then went to Hamline University in Saint Paul, Minnesota. This was a Methodist college. She was the first African-American student to attend Hamline. In 1922, she became the first African-American to graduate from the college. She earned a degree in English. While in college, she heard W. E. B. Du Bois speak. This inspired her to become a successful educator.
In 1936, she married Merritt Hedgeman in New York City. Merritt was a musician who loved African-American folk music and opera. They did not have any children.
Early Career and Community Work
After college, Anna Hedgeman taught English and History. She worked at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. This was a college mainly for black students. Here, she first saw how unfair segregation was.
In the 1920s, Anna Hedgeman started working in the community. She became a leader at a black branch of the YWCA in Jersey City, New Jersey. She worked for the YWCA in many cities. These included Ohio, New Jersey, Harlem, Philadelphia, and Brooklyn. All of these YWCA branches were separated by race.
She also worked as a leader for the National Committee for a Permanent Fair Employment Practices Commission. She was an Assistant Dean of Women at Howard University. She was also an editor for the New York Age newspaper. She helped with Harry S. Truman's presidential campaign in 1948.
Fighting for Civil Rights
Anna Hedgeman was very active in protests during the 1930s. Her strong actions led her to leave her job at the Brooklyn YWCA. In 1944, she became the executive secretary for the National Council for a Permanent Fair Employment Practice Committee (FEPC). This group worked to stop unfair hiring practices. In 1946, she worked as an assistant dean at Howard University.
In 1954, she made history in New York City. She became the first African-American woman to hold a job in the mayor's cabinet. Later, in 1958, she worked as a public relations consultant. In 1959, she became an editor and writer for New York Age. In her later years, she started Hedgeman Consultant Services with her husband.
A big moment in her life was in 1963. Anna Hedgeman helped organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom. She worked with other famous activists like Bayard Rustin and A. Philip Randolph. This march brought over 250,000 people to Washington, D.C. Anna Hedgeman personally encouraged 40,000 Protestants to join the march.
In 1966, she helped start the National Organization for Women (NOW). This group works for women's rights.
Anna Hedgeman taught and spoke at many schools and colleges. She often talked about African-American studies. She traveled to Africa and spoke across the United States. She especially visited black schools and colleges. She told students that understanding history was key to achieving equality. In the 1970s, she often spoke at colleges in both Africa and the United States.
In 1963, she also started working for the Commission of Religion and Race. This was part of the National Council of Churches. She used this job to explain to white Christians why racism was wrong. This is how she got 40,000 Protestants to join the March on Washington. She retired from this role in 1967.
Anna Hedgeman wrote two books. They were The Trumpet Sounds (1964) and The Gift of Chaos (1977). She also wrote articles for many newspapers and magazines.
Working in Politics
During the Great Depression, Anna Hedgeman worked for New York City's Department of Welfare. It was called the Emergency Relief Bureau then. She looked into big racial problems. She studied how minority groups lived. She also encouraged more civil service jobs for these groups.
In 1957, Anna Arnold Hedgeman became the first woman to serve in a New York City mayor's cabinet. She worked for Mayor Robert F. Wagner, Jr.. After a public ceremony, it seemed the mayor might not give her a real job. So, she worked with African-American newspapers. They made sure the public knew about the situation. This worked, and Hedgeman got her cabinet job. She worked as a link between Harlem and city hall. She also attended events for the mayor when he could not go.
In 1960, Hedgeman planned to run for the United States Congress. She also ran for City Council President in New York City, but she did not win.
Awards and Recognition
Anna Hedgeman received the Pioneer Woman Award in 1983. This award was given by the New York State Conference on Midlife and Older Woman.
She also got an Extraordinary Woman of Achievement Award. This was from the National Conference of Christians and Jews.
She was given honorary doctor degrees from Howard University and Hamline University.
Anna Hedgeman's picture hangs in the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Later Life and Death
After her husband died in 1987, Anna Hedgeman moved to a nursing home in Harlem. She passed away on January 17, 1990, at Harlem Hospital. She was 90 years old.
