First National Conference of the Colored Women of America facts for kids
The First National Conference of the Colored Women of America was a special three-day meeting held in Boston. It was organized in August 1895 by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, a strong leader for civil rights and women's right to vote. This conference was the first of its kind in the United States.
About 42 groups of African-American women from 14 different states came together at Berkeley Hall. Their main goal was to create a national organization for black women. Important speakers included Margaret Murray Washington, Victoria Earle Matthews, Ida B. Wells, Anna J. Cooper, and others who fought for equality. During this conference, the National Federation of Afro-American Women was formed. This group later became the National Association of Colored Women the next year.
Contents
How the Conference Began
Creating the Woman's Era Club
In 1892, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin started the Woman's Era Club in Boston. This group worked to support black women. She had help from her daughter, Florida Ruffin Ridley, and teacher Maria Louise Baldwin. It was the first club for black women in Boston and one of the first in the country.
Members of the club were important black women from Boston. They focused on education, women's right to vote, and issues like stopping lynching. Their motto was "Help to make the world better." The club also had its own newspaper, The Woman's Era, which was published every month.
Why a National Meeting Was Needed
In the early 1890s, The Woman's Era newspaper asked its readers if a national group for black women's clubs was needed. Many people said yes!
Then, in 1895, a journalist named John Jacks wrote a letter. In this letter, he unfairly criticized Ida B. Wells and said very mean things about black women. An organization called the British Anti-Slavery Society received this letter. They were upset and sent it to Josephine Ruffin.
Ruffin shared the letter with different women's clubs. This made many women angry and determined to act. Soon after, Ruffin decided to organize a national conference in Boston. She asked clubs to send their representatives. The first day was for planning the new organization. The next two days were for discussing important topics like moral growth, education, health, and money matters.
Ruffin explained why Boston was chosen for the meeting:
- Boston was seen as the best place.
- It had an atmosphere that would truly understand and represent black women.
- It would help show their position, needs, and goals.
The Conference in Action
On July 29, 1895, the First National Conference of the Colored Women of America began. Representatives from 42 black women's clubs came from 14 states. Some clubs included the Colored Women's League of Washington and the Ida B. Wells Club of Chicago.
The meeting took place at Berkeley Hall for three days. An extra session was held on August 1 at the Charles Street Church. The New York Times newspaper called it "the first movement of the kind ever attempted."
Ruffin's Opening Message
In her opening speech, Josephine Ruffin explained the purpose of the conference:
- It was a women's movement led by women.
- It aimed to benefit all people, not just one group.
- They wanted men to be actively interested and help.
- They were not separating themselves by race.
- They were American women, deeply interested in all things that concerned them, just like other American women.
Key Speakers and Their Ideas
Many important people spoke at the conference. Margaret Murray Washington, who was the wife of Booker T. Washington, gave a powerful speech. She talked about "Individual Work for Moral Elevation." She said that African-American women were divided into two groups:
- Those who had chances to improve their minds, bodies, morals, and finances.
- Those who had been denied these chances because of slavery.
She encouraged the first group to help and inspire the second group. She believed that individual success was not enough. She said that only by "lifting as we climb" could the entire race make progress.
Ella L. Smith, the first African-American woman to earn a master's degree from Wellesley College, spoke about the importance of higher education. The famous scholar Anna J. Cooper talked about the need for groups to work together.
Author and former slave Victoria Earle Matthews spoke about "The Value of Race Literature." She stressed how important it was to collect writings by and about African Americans. Agnes Jones Adams gave a speech called "Social Purity." She stated that being white was not the only way to be American.
Civil rights leaders like T. Thomas Fortune, Henry B. Blackwell, and William Lloyd Garrison spoke about political equality. Helen Appo Cook, who led the National League of Colored Women, read a paper about "The Ideal National Union." Alexander Crummell, Anna Sprague (daughter of Frederick Douglass), and anti-lynching activist Ida B. Wells also shared their thoughts. Other women from clubs spoke about fairness, avoiding alcohol, and the need for job training.
Special Moments
Eliza Ann Gardner from Boston was the conference's chaplain. She gave the opening prayer. It was unusual for a woman to be called a chaplain back then. Alice T. Miller from Boston read a poem. Singers Moses Hamilton Hodges and Arianna Sparrow performed solo songs.
Forming a New Organization
The National Federation of Afro-American Women
During the conference, the National Federation of Afro-American Women (NFAAW) was created. Its main goals were:
- To bring together the energy of Afro-American women into one strong sisterhood.
- To make needed changes and support efforts to build up and improve the race.
- To help women understand the importance of creating good homes and their duties as mothers.
Leaders for the new organization were chosen from the conference delegates. Margaret Murray Washington became President. Florida Ruffin Ridley was the Corresponding Secretary. Other officers included L. C. Carter, Libby B. Anthony, Mary Dickerson, Helen Crum, and Ella Mahammitt. Josephine Ruffin was asked to be treasurer but declined.
The newspaper The Woman's Era was chosen as the official news source for the NFAAW. The NFAAW held another conference in 1896. There, it joined with other groups to form the National Association of Colored Women.
