Harriet Redmond facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Harriet "Hattie" Redmond
Born	Harriet Crawford Around 1862 St. Louis, Missouri
Died	June 27, 1952 Portland, Oregon
Nationality	American
Occupation	Hairdresser, department store employee, domestic servant, janitor
Known for	Suffragist

Harriet Redmond (born around 1862–June 27, 1952), also known as Hattie Redmond, was an important African-American woman who fought for women's right to vote. She lived and worked in Portland, Oregon. Harriet was born in St. Louis, Missouri, but moved to Oregon when she was young. There, she became a very active part of the movement to get women the right to vote.

Redmond is most famous for her work as the secretary and later president of the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage Association. After women in Oregon won the right to vote in 1912, Redmond continued to be involved in politics. She worked on campaigns for several Republican candidates.

Harriet's Family Background

Hattie Redmond was the daughter of LaVinia Blue and Reuben Crawford. Her parents had been slaves but were now free. When Harriet was born, her family lived in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1871, her family moved from Missouri to Marysville, California. Then, they moved to Hood River, Oregon, and finally settled in Portland in 1880.

LaVinia, also called Vina, had a brother in California. The family wanted to stay on the West Coast. Reuben first worked making ropes. Later, he became an expert at sealing ships. The Oregonian newspaper even called him "the best ship caulker on the west coast" in 1918. LaVinia stayed home and also worked part-time helping in other people's homes.

Reuben Crawford was an active member of the Republican Party. He also belonged to the Colored Immigrants Aids Society. The Crawford family became well-known in Portland's African American community. This community included hundreds of people. The Crawfords attended Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. This was the first black Baptist church in Oregon. In 1912, Redmond held meetings there to teach people about women's right to vote.

Harriet's Early Life

Redmond was born around 1862 in St. Louis. She was the first of LaVinia and Reuben's eight children. She was about 9 years old when her family moved to California. She was about 18 when they settled in Portland.

Redmond likely grew up in a boarding house. At that time, African Americans often could not own property. There were also few single-family homes available for them. Redmond went to Portland's Colored School. This was a public school for African American children. She first became involved with the church at age 12. Her father signed her up to read a poem she wrote for a church event. The poem was called "I'm So Happy," and people really liked it.

In November 1883, Harriet Crawford married Emerson Redmond. He worked as a waiter at hotels in Portland. Harriet and Emerson Redmond did not have any children. Her husband died in 1907.

Harriet's Fight for Rights

Redmond was an active member of the Oregon Colored Women’s Council. This group helped black women who needed support. Later, she became secretary, then president, of a new group. This group was called the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage Association. It was formed in 1912. Redmond thought that many black women in Portland did not join the group because they didn't know enough about voting. Some husbands and families also did not support women voting.

As a leader of the Colored Women’s Equal Suffrage Association, Redmond organized meetings and talks. These events took place in churches around the city. She especially held them at Mt. Olivet Baptist Church. In 1912, she led educational meetings there about women's right to vote. She also served on the Central Campaign Committee. This committee was very important for leading the suffrage movement in Oregon. It brought together different groups fighting for the right to vote from all over the state. They worked to help these groups cooperate.

Finally, the suffrage movement succeeded! Voters in Oregon approved women's right to vote on November 5, 1912. Redmond registered to vote as a Republican in April 1913. Redmond's work for women's voting rights also helped set the stage for civil rights efforts in Oregon in the early 1900s.

During the 1914 election, Redmond and other activists worked on campaigns for several Republican candidates. The women on a campaign committee voted Redmond to be their vice president.

Later Life and Death

Even though jobs were limited for African American women back then, Redmond found work in many different roles. Her voter's registration card from 1913 says she was a hairdresser. At other times, she cleaned department stores. She also worked as a domestic servant. Her last job was as a janitor for Oregon's U.S. District Court. She worked as a janitor for twenty-nine years. She retired in 1939. The Oregonian newspaper wrote an article about her long service on March 17 of that year. It was called “Janitress Lauded for Long Service.” When she retired, she also received a signed picture and a letter from the postmaster general.

On June 27, 1952, Hattie Redmond passed away from bronchial pneumonia. She was 90 years old.

Harriet's Legacy

The Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center at Oregon State University.

Redmond is buried at the Lone Fir Pioneer Cemetery. On July 21, 2012, a group called the Century of Action Committee honored her. They also honored three other people who fought for voting rights: Esther Pohl Lovejoy, Harry Lane, and Martha Cardwell Dalton. They put new headstones for them at the cemetery. Their old headstones had become covered by plants. Redmond's new headstone says "Black American Suffragist." The ceremony included actors dressed as the four people being honored. Barbara Roberts, a former Oregon governor, also attended. This event was part of the Century of Action Committee's year-long celebration. They were celebrating 100 years of women having the right to vote in Oregon. It also helped bring attention to voting barriers that still existed for minority groups.

In July 2018, the president of Oregon State University, Ed Ray, announced that three campus buildings would be renamed. Their old names honored people who had racist views. One of these buildings, once called the Benton Annex, became the Hattie Redmond Women and Gender Center. The building was previously named after Thomas Hart Benton. He was a U.S. Senator from Missouri a long time ago. The choice to rename it after Redmond was made to recognize her important work as a woman who fought for voting rights in Oregon.