Lucy Diggs Slowe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lucy Diggs Slowe
Born	July 4, 1885 Berryville, Virginia, U.S.
Died	October 21, 1937 (aged 52) Washington, D.C., U.S.
Occupation	educator, college dean, and tennis champion, founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated;
Partner(s)	Mary P. Burrill
Parent(s)	Henry Slowe and Fannie Potter

Lucy Diggs Slowe (born July 4, 1885 – died October 21, 1937) was an amazing American educator and athlete. She made history as the first Black woman to become a Dean of Women at any university in the United States.

Lucy Slowe also helped start Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. This was the very first sorority created by African-American women. She was also a talented tennis player. In 1917, she won the national title at the first tournament of the American Tennis Association. This made her the first African-American woman to win a big sports championship.

In 1922, Lucy Slowe became the first Dean of Women at Howard University. She worked in this important role for 15 years until she passed away. She also created and led two groups to help college leaders.

Early Life and Education

Lucy Diggs Slowe was born in Berryville, Virginia. Her parents were Henry Slowe and Fannie Potter Slowe. She was one of seven children. Sadly, her father died before she was one year old, and her mother passed away soon after.

Lucy and her sister Charlotte were then raised by their aunt, Martha Price, in Lexington, Virginia. When Lucy was thirteen, her family moved to Baltimore, Maryland. There, she went to the Baltimore Colored High and Training School. She graduated in 1904 as the second-best student in her class. This earned her a special scholarship to attend Howard University.

Lucy Slowe was the first student from her high school to go to Howard University. At that time, Howard was the top historically Black college in the country. Very few African Americans went to college back then.

After graduating from Howard in 1908, Slowe went back to Baltimore to teach English in high school. During her summer breaks, she studied at Columbia University in New York. She earned her Masters of Arts degree there in 1915.

Lucy Slowe is buried in the Lincoln Memorial Cemetery in Suitland, Maryland.

Career and Achievements

A current image of Slowe Hall. The building is located on 3rd and T Street on the Howard University campus. The building was designed by Louis Justement.

After getting her master's degree, Lucy Slowe returned to Washington, D.C., to teach. African-American teachers in D.C. were paid the same as European-American teachers. This attracted many excellent teachers, especially to Dunbar High School.

In 1919, the District of Columbia asked Lucy Slowe to create the first junior high school for Black students. She was then appointed as its principal. She led Shaw Junior High School until 1922. During this time, she also started the first training program for junior high teachers in the District.

In 1917, Slowe won the first tournament of the American Tennis Association. This made her the first African-American woman to win a major sports title.

In 1922, Howard University chose Lucy Slowe to be its first Dean of Women. She was the first African-American woman to hold this position at any university in the United States. As Dean of Women, she wanted to prepare women for the modern world. She believed women should aim for professional success and personal happiness.

Lucy Slowe was a strong advocate for female students. She worked hard to protect them and ensure they were treated fairly. She continued to serve as a college leader at Howard until her death on October 21, 1937.

Activism and Leadership

Lucy Diggs Slowe was one of the nine original founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. This sorority was started at Howard University. She played a key role in writing the sorority's rules and served as its first president.

Slowe was also active in local and national groups. She was part of the DuBois Circle, a group of Black women who met to discuss important issues and art.

She also founded two other important organizations:

• The National Association of College Women, where she was the first president for several years.
• The Association of Advisors to Women in Colored Schools.

Personal Life and Legacy

Lucy Slowe shared a home with Mary P. Burrill, a playwright and fellow educator, for twenty-five years. They bought a house together in Brookland, near Howard University, where they lived for fifteen years. This house, known as the Slowe-Burrill House, was recognized as a historic place in 2020.

Honors and Recognition

Window inside of Rankin Chapel at Howard University

Lucy Diggs Slowe has been honored in many ways:

• In 1942, the U.S. government built a dormitory for African-American female government workers. After World War II, the building was given to Howard University. It was named Lucy Diggs Slowe Hall in her honor and opened in 1943. Today, it is a co-ed residence hall at Howard.
• An elementary school in Washington, D.C., was named after her.
• In 1986, the National Association of Women Deans, Administrators and Counselors honored her contributions. They placed a special plaque dedicated to her at their headquarters in Washington, D.C.
• She was featured in an exhibit called Breaking the Barriers: The ATA and Black Tennis Pioneers. This exhibit celebrated women champions in tennis.
• On April 11, 2015, a large machine used for digging a tunnel was named "Lucy" in her honor.
• In 2017, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources put up a historic marker in her hometown of Berryville to remember her.

See also

In Spanish: Lucy Diggs Slowe para niños