Mary Church Terrell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mary Church Terrell
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| Born |
Mary Eliza Church
September 23, 1863 Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
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| Died | July 24, 1954 (aged 90) Annapolis, Maryland, U.S.
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| Other names | Euphemia Kirk |
| Occupation | Civil rights activist, journalist |
| Known for | One of the first African-American women to earn a college degree
Founding member of National Association of Colored Women Charter member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) | |
| Children | 5 (one adopted, three died in infancy) including Phyllis |
| Parent(s) | Robert Reed Church Louisa Ayres |
Mary Church Terrell (born Mary Eliza Church; September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was a very important American activist. She was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She became famous for fighting for civil rights and the right for women to vote.
Mary Church Terrell taught at the M Street High School in Washington, D.C. This was the first public high school for African Americans in the country. In 1895, she became the first African-American woman to be appointed to a school board in a major U.S. city. She served on the District of Columbia school board until 1906.
She also helped start many important groups. She was a founding member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909. She also helped create the National Association of Colored Women in 1896 and was its first president.
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Early Life and Education
Mary Eliza Church was born in 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee. Her parents, Robert Reed Church and Louisa Ayres, had both been slaves but were now free. They were important members of the black community in Memphis after the Civil War.
Her father was a successful businessman. He became one of the first African-American millionaires in the South. He made his money by buying property after a yellow fever outbreak in 1878. Her mother, Louisa Ayres, owned her own hair salon. She was a successful businesswoman when most women did not own their own companies.
Mary's parents sent her to schools outside Memphis because the local schools were not good enough. She attended Antioch College Model School in Ohio from 1871 to 1874. Then, she went to Oberlin public school from 1875 to 1879.
Mary continued her studies at Oberlin College. This college was special because it was the first in the U.S. to accept both African-American and female students. She chose to study for a four-year degree, which was usually for men. Most women at the time took a two-year course. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1884.
She was one of the first African-American women to get a four-year college degree. She also earned her master's degree in Education from Oberlin in 1888. This made her one of the first two black women to earn a master's degree.
Career and Activism
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Mary Church Terrell started her career as a teacher in 1885. She taught modern languages at Wilberforce University, a college for black students in Ohio. After two years, she moved to Washington, D.C., to teach Latin at the M Street School.
In 1888, she took a break to travel and study in Europe for two years. There, she learned to speak French, German, and Italian very well. When she returned, she married Robert Heberton Terrell in 1891. He was also a teacher at the M Street School. Because she got married, she had to leave her teaching job.
After teaching, Terrell focused on social activism. She worked to empower black women. She also wrote many articles and an autobiography called A Colored Woman in a White World (1940). In her writings, she shared her experiences with racism and fought against unfair ideas.
Black Women's Clubs
In 1892, Terrell and other important black women, like Ida B. Wells-Barnett, formed the Colored Women's League in Washington, D.C. This group wanted to help the African-American community. They started a training program and a kindergarten, which were later added to public schools.
Because of her work with the League, Terrell was appointed to the District of Columbia Board of Education. She served from 1895 to 1906. She was the first black woman in the U.S. to hold such a position.
The Colored Women's League later joined with other groups to form the National Association of Colored Women (NACW). This was the first national organization for black women in America. Its motto was "Lifting as we climb." The NACW worked to unite black women and fight against racism. They also created daycares and kindergartens for black children. Terrell was elected president of the NACW twice, serving from 1896 to 1901.
In 1910, Terrell also founded the College Alumnae Club, which later became the National Association of University Women.
Fighting for Women's Right to Vote
Terrell was very active in the women's right to vote movement, called the suffrage movement. She worked with famous suffragists like Susan B. Anthony. Terrell spoke about the challenges faced by African-American women. She called this the "double burden," meaning black women had to overcome both racism and sexism.
In 1898, she gave a speech called "The Progress of Colored Women" at a meeting of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. She urged them to fight for black women's rights. She also spoke about the need for unity among black people.
In 1913, Terrell and Ida B. Wells fought to make sure black suffragists could march in a parade in Washington, D.C. They insisted on marching with everyone else, not at the back. Terrell marched with the New York City group, and the Delta Sigma Theta sorority women from Howard University marched with other college women.
Terrell was also active in the Republican Party. She worked on Warren G. Harding's 1920 presidential campaign. This was the first election where American women could vote.
Fighting for Integration
Terrell was a strong voice for civil rights during her lifetime. She worked to end segregation, which was the separation of people based on race.
She was also a talented journalist. She wrote for many newspapers and magazines, often using the pen name Euphemia Kirk. Her writing helped promote the African American Women's Club Movement.
Terrell met many important black activists, including Booker T. Washington and Frederick Douglass. Douglass encouraged her to continue her public work, saying her talent was too great to be wasted.
In 1904, Terrell was the only black woman invited to speak at the International Congress of Women in Berlin, Germany. She impressed everyone by giving her speech in German, then French, and finally English.
In 1909, Terrell was one of two black women invited to help start the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). She became a founding member of this important civil rights organization.
Terrell also helped integrate the American Association of University Women (AAUW). In 1946, her local chapter refused to let her rejoin because she was black. Terrell fought this decision, and in 1949, the national AAUW passed a rule against discrimination. In 1948, she won her lawsuit and became the first black member of the D.C. chapter.
In 1950, Terrell led a successful fight to integrate restaurants in Washington, D.C. She and her friends were refused service at a segregated restaurant. They filed a lawsuit. Terrell used boycotts, picketing, and sit-ins to protest. Finally, in 1953, the court ruled that segregated eating places in Washington, D.C., were against the law.
Even after she was 80 years old, Terrell continued to protest against segregation in restaurants and theaters. She lived to see the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education in 1954. This ruling said that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. Mary Church Terrell died two months later at the age of 90.
Legacy and Honors
Mary Church Terrell received many honors for her important work:
- In 1933, Oberlin College recognized her as one of its "Top 100 Outstanding Alumni."
- In 1948, Oberlin College gave her an honorary Doctorate degree.
- In 1954, First Lady Mamie Eisenhower praised Terrell's dedication to improving humanity.
- In 1975, her home in Washington, D.C., was named a National Historic Landmark.
- An elementary school in Washington, D.C., was named in her honor.
- In 2002, she was included in a list of the "100 Greatest African Americans."
- In 2009, she was honored with a United States Postal Service postage stamp.
- In 2018, Oberlin College named its main library the Mary Church Terrell Main Library.
- In 2020, Terrell was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Marriage and Children
On October 18, 1891, Mary Church married Robert Heberton Terrell in Memphis. He was a lawyer who became the first black municipal court judge in Washington, D.C. They met while both working at the M Street High School.
Mary and Robert had a daughter named Phyllis Terrell in 1898. She was named after the poet Phillis Wheatley. The Terrells also adopted Mary's niece, Mary.
Works
Mary Church Terrell was a prolific writer. Her autobiography, A Colored Woman in a White World (1940), tells her personal story and experiences with racism. She also wrote many articles for various newspapers and magazines.
In Spanish: Mary Church Terrell para niños
