Juno Frankie Pierce facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Juno Frankie Pierce
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| Born |
Juno Frankie Seay
1864 |
| Died | 1954 (aged 89–90) |
| Occupation | Educator, suffragist |
| Spouse(s) | Clement J. Pierce |
Juno Frankie Seay Pierce, also known as Frankie Pierce, was an important American educator and suffragist. A suffragist is someone who worked to get women the right to vote. Born around 1864, Frankie Pierce lived until 1954. She opened the Tennessee Vocational School for Colored Girls in 1923. She was the leader of the school until 1939. The school helped many girls until it closed in 1979.
Frankie Pierce was the daughter of a former slave. She gave a speech to white women at a big meeting in May 1920. This meeting was for the Tennessee League of Women Voters and was held in the Tennessee Capitol building.
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Early Life and Learning
Juno Frankie Seay was born in Nashville, Tennessee, around 1864. Her father, Frank Seay, was a freedman, meaning he was a free Black man. Her mother, Nellie Seay, was a house slave. She worked for Colonel Robert Allen, who was a politician.
Frankie Pierce went to the John G. McKee Freedmen's School in Nashville. This school was started by a church group. She then continued her studies at Roger Williams University in Nashville. After finishing school, she taught at Bellview School. This was a public school for Black children.
She later married Clement J. Pierce and moved with him to Paris, Texas. After her husband passed away, she returned to Nashville. She lived with her mother, Nellie Seay. Both Frankie and her mother were very active in their church, the First Colored Baptist Church, Capitol Hill.
Helping the Community
In Nashville, Black women created many clubs. These clubs were often connected to churches or were just for social reasons. Their main goal was to work for social justice. They wanted better schools, good child care, and places where people could get help.
Frankie Pierce was a founder of the Negro Women's Reconstruction League. She was also its president. She helped start the Nashville Federation of Colored Women's Clubs. She also served on the first committee for the Blue Triangle League of the YWCA.
One time, Frankie Pierce led members of these clubs to the mayor's office. They demanded that public restrooms be available for Black women in downtown Nashville. Because of their efforts, a store called Montgomery Ward put in restrooms for Black women.
A School for Girls
One of Frankie Pierce's biggest goals was to create a state-supported school. This school would be for Black girls who needed help. At that time, Black children could not go to white schools. If they got into trouble, the only other option was to send them to prison.
Pierce worked with her clubs to ask lawmakers to create this school. Fisk University's registrar, Minnie Lou Crosthwaite, also helped her. In 1920, women across the country gained the right to vote. After this, the Tennessee government passed a law on April 7, 1921. This law created the Tennessee Vocational School for Colored Girls.
The school opened on October 8, 1923, in Nashville. It taught girls aged 12 to 15. They learned school subjects and job skills up to the ninth grade. Frankie Pierce was the superintendent, or leader, of the school until 1939. She started a program that focused on health, fun activities, and good behavior. The school began with 35 students from all over Tennessee. It grew much larger over time.
The City Federation of Colored Women's Clubs supported the school. Frankie Pierce helped organize this group. After Pierce, Dr. Mattie E. Coleman became the superintendent. She led the school until she passed away in 1942.
Working for Women's Vote
Frankie Pierce and Dr. Mattie E. Coleman were very active in the fight for women's voting rights. Dr. Coleman was a Black doctor and a leader in her church. They helped 2,500 Black women vote in Nashville's city elections in 1919. This was the first time Black women could vote in that city.
By 1919, people in Tennessee were working to decide if the state would approve the 19th Amendment. This amendment would give women the right to vote across the nation. The movement for women's voting rights was often separated by race, especially in the Southern states. This was due to Jim Crow laws.
However, Black women's clubs worked with white women's clubs on many social issues. These connections helped them work together on voting rights in Nashville. Black women's clubs had already worked with white groups to get people to vote in the 1919 city elections.
Catherine Kenny was the head of the Tennessee Equal Suffrage League. She was very impressed with Frankie Pierce's organizing skills. Kenny invited Pierce to speak at the first meeting of the Tennessee League of Women Voters. This meeting was held in the Tennessee Capitol in May 1920. It was a very important moment. A Black woman was speaking to hundreds of white women in the state Capitol. One historian called it "a taboo-breaking experiment in political cooperation."
In her speech, Frankie Pierce asked, "What will the Negro woman do with the vote?" She answered, "Yes, we will stand by the white women. We believe in the best white women of the country, of Nashville. We are going to make you proud of us. We will help you help us and yourselves." She added, "We are interested in the same good things for our community as you are. We are asking only one thing—a fair chance."
She then told the white women what she hoped for. She wanted a state vocational school, a state department to help children, and more space in state schools. The League of Women Voters decided to support the school. They worked hard to get the law passed for it.
One historian, Anita Goodstein, said that Black women offering to work with white women for specific benefits was "a rare alliance." She noted that this only happened in Nashville. She gave credit to Frankie Pierce, Mattie E. Coleman, and Catherine Kenny for being so brave.
Frankie Pierce's niece, Nellie Griswold Francis, was also a well-known suffragist. She also worked against lynching and for civil rights.
Lasting Impact
The Frankie J. Pierce lecture series was created to celebrate the history of African-American women. Tennessee women, including State Senator Thelma Harper, helped organize it.
On August 26, 2016, a special statue was revealed in Centennial Park in Nashville. This day is called Women's Equality Day. The statue was made by Alan LeQuire. It shows Frankie Pierce along with other important women. These include Carrie Chapman Catt, Anne Dallas Dudley, Abby Crawford Milton, and Sue Shelton White.
