Mary Jackson McCrorey facts for kids
Mary Jackson McCrorey (born November 9, 1867 – died January 13, 1944) was an important American educator. She also worked to help others through missions and was a key leader in the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). The YWCA is a group that supports women and girls.
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Early Life and Education
Mary C. Jackson was born in Athens, Georgia. Her parents were Alfred Jackson and Louisa Terrell Jackson. She was their eighth child. Mary was special because she was the first of their children born free. This was after the American Civil War ended and slavery was abolished. Mary C. Jackson went to Atlanta University to study.
A Career in Education
After finishing college, Mary Jackson started her career as a teacher in Athens. She later became a school principal in Orlando, Florida, where she worked for four years.
Working with Lucy Craft Laney
From 1896 to 1916, Mary Jackson was a leader at the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Augusta, Georgia. This school helped young people learn important skills and trades. She worked very closely with the school's founder, Lucy Craft Laney, who was also a famous educator. Mary Jackson even wrote about Lucy Craft Laney in a magazine called The Crisis in 1934.
Community Leadership
After she got married, Mary Jackson McCrorey lived in Charlotte, North Carolina. There, she worked in many roles at Johnson C. Smith University. She led the Baptist Division of Missions for Colored People. She also helped bring the first YWCA groups for Black women to the American South.
Mary McCrorey was an officer in the International Council of Women of the Darker Races. She was part of a group of Black women leaders who worked at universities. These women were also involved with the YWCA and the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACW). Some of these leaders included Juliette Derricotte, Jennie B. Moton, Margaret Murray Washington, and Nettie Langston Napier. From 1920 to 1944, Mary Jackson McCrorey served on the National Commission on Interracial Cooperation. This group worked to improve relationships between different racial groups.
In 1941, Benedict College gave McCrorey an honorary doctorate degree. This was a special award to recognize her achievements.
Personal Life and Legacy
In 1916, Mary C. Jackson married Henry Lawrence McCrorey. He was the president of Johnson C. Smith University. Mary Jackson McCrorey passed away in 1944 when she was 76 years old. After Henry's death in 1951, the Black YMCA in Charlotte, North Carolina, was renamed the McCrorey Family YMCA. This was done to honor their family's important contributions to the community.
