Hettie B. Tilghman facts for kids
Hettie Blonde Tilghman (1871–1933) was an American social activist who lived and worked near Oakland, California. This was in the late 1800s and early 1900s. She was a leader in many groups that worked for change. Hettie also started and ran day cares and clubs for young people. She strongly supported black women and youth in the Bay Area. Tilghman helped open doors for many activists who came after her. She also helped start the Phyllis Wheatley Club of the East Bay.
Hettie Tilghman's Early Life
Hettie was born in 1871 to John and Rebecca Jones, who were pioneers. She grew up in San Francisco with two older sisters. In 1885, her family moved to Oakland. Hettie lived there for the rest of her life.
By 1890, Hettie had married Charles F. Tilghman. They moved in with his mother, Lucinda. The Tilghmans were an important African American family. They worked hard for racial equality. Hettie and Charles had their first child, Hilda, in 1896. Their second child, Charles Francis, was born in 1897.
After Hilda was born, they moved out of Lucinda’s home. Hettie stopped teaching for a while. Once her children were old enough for school, Hettie became very active. She started many clubs and community projects. She continued her work to help others until she passed away in 1933.
Hettie Tilghman's Work and Leadership
In the early 1890s, Hettie helped organize the Bethel A.M.E Church Sunday School in San Francisco. She was also its secretary. She ran a private language school from her parents’ home. There, she taught English to Chinese students.
Hettie also served on the board of the Home for Aged and Infirm Colored People. This home opened in 1897 near Mills College. In 1917, she was chosen to be president of the California State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. In the early 1920s, she became president of the Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery.
Around the same time, she led the Oakland branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). Throughout the 1920s, she was active in the movement for women’s right to vote. She continued this work until she died in 1933.
Helping the African American Community
One of Hettie’s main goals was to help the African American community. She worked as the financial secretary for the Northern Federation of California Women’s Clubs (NFCCWC). This group started in 1913. The NFCCWC was made up entirely of clubs for women of color. These clubs focused on arts, education, and general progress. They filled a need for black women.
Between 1914 and 1918, Tilghman worked with Fannie Wall. They raised $1200 to open the Fannie Wall Children’s Home and Day Nursery. This was in West Oakland. It became the only place in the area that was both a daycare and an orphanage for children of color.
After this center was a big success, Tilghman began raising money for a second children’s care place. This new project needed a lot more money. She also worked to create and manage a YWCA especially for black youth. In the 1920s, Tilghman took on major leadership roles in many groups. For example, she was chosen to be president of the Alameda County League of Colored Women Voters. She also played a big role in the African American part of the League of Women Voters. In both groups, Tilghman pushed for laws that would help women and children.
