Mary J. Johnson Woodlen facts for kids

Mary J. Johnson Woodlen (1870-1933) was an important leader in Wilmington, Delaware. She worked hard to help women get the right to vote. She was also a vice president for the Wilmington chapter of the NAACP. This group works for equal rights for African Americans. Mary Woodlen also helped start the Wilmington Equal Suffrage Study Club. She was a popular speaker at Methodist churches too.

Mary Woodlen's Early Life and Work

Mary J. Johnson was born in Virginia in 1870. Her parents were James and Edmonia Johnson.

Around 1900, she moved to Wilmington, Delaware. There, she married John H. Woodlen, Sr. John was a widower and had two children.

Mary Woodlen spent time volunteering at the Layton Home for Aged Colored Persons. She was on the home's Senior Board in the 1910s. She worked with other women who supported voting rights. These included Blanche Williams Stubbs and Florence Bayard Hilles.

In 1913, she helped create a new community center. It was called the Thomas Garrett Settlement. This center offered many programs. These included kindergarten, art, music, and sports classes. It also had a health clinic and meeting spaces for the community.

In 1914, Mary Woodlen became the vice president of the Wilmington NAACP chapter.

She also started the Delaware Federation of Colored Women's Clubs in 1916. She became the chaplain at their yearly meeting in 1918. This Federation supported an Industrial School for Colored Girls. Mary Woodlen was on the school's board of directors.

Working for Women's Right to Vote

Mary Woodlen was a key member of the Equal Suffrage Study Club. This club started on March 19, 1914. The first meeting was at the home of Emma Gibson Sykes. Mary Woodlen played a big part in the club's work.

The club helped connect different community groups. These included the Howard School and the NAACP. They also worked with local African American women's clubs. This group was one of the most active in Delaware for women's voting rights.

In May 1914, Wilmington had its first parade for women's voting rights. The Equal Suffrage Study Club marched in this parade. They led the separate section for African American women.

Mary Woodlen also shared her ideas by writing to local newspapers. She once wrote a letter to challenge a racist article. This article was against African American women getting the right to vote. Mary Woodlen argued against the unfair ideas in the article.

In February 1921, a statue was shown in Washington, D.C. It honored Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These women were important for women's rights. However, the National Woman's Party (NWP) did not support voting rights for African American women.

Addie Hunton from the NAACP was upset by this. So, Alice Dunbar-Nelson organized a group of six Delaware women. Mary Woodlen and Blanche Stubbs were part of this group. They went to Washington to talk to Alice Paul, the NWP president.

They joined a larger protest led by Mary Church Terrell. They protested at a church about how the 19th Amendment was not being followed in some states. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote. They went to the NWP office to speak with Alice Paul. But she said that not being able to vote was a race issue, not a women's issue.

Mary Woodlen continued to support the Republican Party in Delaware. She helped lead efforts to get people to register and vote in African American neighborhoods. She also supported Conwell Banton, an African American doctor, to join the Board of Education.

She was very important in the Wilmington Colored Women's Republican Club. This group wanted to register all African American women in the city to vote. They worked hard for the November 1920 election. Mary Woodlen was chosen for the finance committee.

In 1924, she tried to become a delegate for the Republican State Convention. She was a well-known figure in the 1924 and 1928 presidential elections. She served as an elected committeewoman.

Mary Woodlen was also known for her spiritual advice. She was often asked to give sermons and speeches at Methodist churches.

Later Years and Passing

Mary Woodlen's husband passed away in 1915. After that, she lived with her stepson, John.

Mary Woodlen died on February 8, 1933. She was buried at Mt. Olive cemetery.

See also

• African-American women's suffrage movement
• Black suffrage in the United States
• Equal Suffrage Study Club
• Women's suffrage in Delaware