Betty Hill (activist) facts for kids

Betty Hill (1876–1960) was an important leader in the early 1900s. She worked hard for civil rights and women's rights. Her efforts helped stop segregation and racial discrimination from becoming widespread in Southern California, unlike in the Southern United States.

Early Life and Adventures

Betty Hill was born Rebecca Jane Lapsley around 1876 in Nashville, Tennessee. Her father built the first school for African Americans in Davidson County, Tennessee. Her grandfather is thought to have bought his wife's freedom from slavery. Betty went to her father's school and then public school in Nashville. She later studied religion at Roger Williams University. This was a college for Black students, started in 1866.

In 1898, she married Abraham Houston Hill. He was a Buffalo Soldier, a Black soldier in the U.S. Army. Abraham was a sergeant in the 24th Infantry Regiment. He fought in the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War. Betty went with him during his time in the Philippines. In 1905, Sergeant Hill was known as an excellent marksman. His shooting skills were even reported in newspapers across the country.

After their friend, Lieutenant Colonel Allen Allensworth, retired from the Army, Betty Hill reportedly took over his chaplain duties for a short time. A chaplain is like a minister for soldiers.

In 1908, the Hills lived in New York. Sergeant Hill retired from the Army in 1913. Then, Betty and Abraham moved to Los Angeles. They chose a simple home near the University of Southern California (USC). Today, their house is a special Los Angeles Cultural Monument.

Meanwhile, Colonel Allensworth helped create the town of Allensworth, California. This was a town for Black people in central California. Many early residents were retired soldiers from the 24th Infantry. The Hills also bought land in Allensworth.

Fighting for Rights in Los Angeles

After moving to Los Angeles, Betty Hill quickly became involved in her local church. She taught Sunday school and became a political activist. She respected Booker T. Washington and his ideas of self-reliance. But she also supported W. E. B. Du Bois's idea of taking political action.

In 1913, Dr. John Somerville wanted to start a local chapter of the NAACP in Los Angeles. The NAACP is a group that fights for the rights of Black people. Betty Hill was one of the people mentioned as interested. The Los Angeles NAACP branch started in the Somervilles' home the next year. Betty Hill was one of its founders.

The Dunbar Hotel

In 1928, the Somervilles opened the Hotel Somerville. It was built to welcome Black visitors because other hotels in Los Angeles did not. Abraham Hill was on the hotel's advisory board. Betty Hill attended its grand opening, which drew about 5,000 people. After the stock market crash in 1929, the hotel was sold. It was renamed the Dunbar Hotel after the poet Paul L. Dunbar. This hotel hosted the first NAACP convention in the western United States. Famous musicians, actors, and sports figures stayed at the Dunbar. They often visited the Club Alabam next door.

The Swimming Pool Case

In 1920, Betty Hill helped form the Westside Homeowner’s Association. This group fought against unfair treatment and protected people. Later, she used her role in this group to win a big victory for equal rights.

The Los Angeles Playground Commission started a rule that discriminated against African Americans. Black people could only use the new city swimming pool in Exposition Park on "colored" days. Betty Hill was determined to fight this. She went to court, and in 1931, Judge Walter S. Gates ruled that the racist policy was wrong. The City Council almost appealed the judge's decision. But Betty Hill talked to each city councilperson until the time to appeal ran out. This famous event became known as the "swimming pool case."

Women's Political Study Club

On November 28, 1929, Hill founded the Women’s Republican Study Club. These clubs were common for white women in the early 1900s. But this was the first one for Black women in California. The club worked to support African Americans and fight racial discrimination. It also promoted the Republican Party. Later, as many African Americans joined the Democratic Party, she changed the name to the Women’s Political Study Club.

In 1945, Betty Hill visited Washington, D.C. She was shocked by the racial discrimination there. This was near the end of World War II, when many, like Charlotta Bass, were fighting for equality. In response, she wrote a bill to end racial discrimination in the nation's capital. The bill was sent to Congressman Gordon McDonough in 1946, but it did not become a law. However, Betty Hill was chosen by her Women's Political Study Club to go to Washington in person. She presented a resolution to President Harry S. Truman that spoke out against discrimination in the capital. The resolution said that discrimination made foreign visitors think it was government policy.

Betty Hill also helped end the "Jim Crow" dining room at Los Angeles General Hospital. She helped Black people get important jobs. These included the first Black intern and the first Black resident physician at the hospital. She also helped the first Black instructor get a job in the Riverside public school system. And she helped the first Black people get jobs in Los Angeles County departments.

Even though President Franklin D. Roosevelt officially ended racial discrimination in the military, it still happened. When fighter pilot Captain William R. Melton was not allowed back on active duty after World War II, Betty Hill and her club helped. They worked with California Congressman Gordon L. McDonough. On February 6, 1949, Captain Melton was ordered back to duty.

Betty Hill also encouraged young people to get an education. She held afternoon tea parties to raise money for scholarships. She also supported scholarships through her involvement with the Zeta Phi Beta sorority.

Other Leadership Roles

Betty Hill was a founding member of the Los Angeles NAACP branch. She served as a Vice President for over 12 years. She also helped start the Urban League's Los Angeles chapter. She was a Republican State Central Committeewoman for Southern California. She was active with the Eastside Settlement House and the National Council of Women. She was the first chairperson of Girls Reserve of the YWCA, 12th Street Branch. She was also a delegate to the 1940 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia. She was the first African American woman west of the Rocky Mountains to be a delegate.

Hill was likely the first African American to manage a political campaign. In 1932, Senator Samuel M. Shortridge asked her to manage his re-election campaign. This was a big risk for a white senator to ask a Black woman to run a campaign during the time of Jim Crow laws. Even though he lost, it showed how powerful and influential Betty Hill was.

Legacy

Betty Hill's contributions are still remembered today. On May 16, 1980, a building at the Denker Senior Citizen Center was renamed the Betty Hill building. Then, on June 6, 1980, the entire center became the Betty Hill Senior Citizen Center. It is less than a mile from her old house. On April 13, 2005, her home at 1655 West 37th Place was named Los Angeles Cultural Monument number 791. This happened thanks to the efforts of her great-grandniece.