Phyllis Terrell facts for kids

Mary Church Terrell House

Phyllis Terrell Langston (born April 2, 1898 – died August 1989) was an important person who worked for women's right to vote and for equal rights for all people. She worked closely with her mother, Mary Church Terrell. They were part of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. They also protested outside the White House with the National Woman's Party.

Early Life and Learning

Phyllis Terrell was born on April 2, 1898, in Washington, DC. Her mother, Mary Church Terrell, was a famous activist for civil rights and women's right to vote. Her father, Robert Heberton Terrell, was the first Black judge in Washington, DC. Phyllis was named after Phillis Wheatley, who was the first African-American woman to publish a book of poems. In 1905, her family adopted her mother's ten-year-old niece, also named Mary.

Phyllis went to Wilberforce University and became a teacher. She later studied music at Howard University. She was a very talented piano player and one of the best students in the music program.

Fighting for Rights

The National Association of Colored Women

The National Association of Colored Women (NACW) started in 1896. Black leaders like Sojourner Truth, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and Harriet Tubman helped create it. This group became a big organization for local clubs of Black women. Phyllis's mother, Mary Church Terrell, was its first president.

The NACW worked to make life better for African Americans. Their motto was "Lifting as We Climb." This meant they wanted to help women get rights while also improving the lives of all African Americans. Seeing her mother's work made Phyllis want to join the NACW too.

Protesting for Women's Vote

National Council of Negro Women Headquarters

Phyllis and her mother protested outside the White House. They joined the National Woman's Party to ask President Woodrow Wilson to support women's right to vote. Even after the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed, Black women were still often stopped from voting.

Phyllis and her mother earned special "Silent Sentinel" pins for their protests. These pins showed they stood up for what they believed in.

Later Activism

In August 1939, Phyllis and her mother visited California. They went to San Francisco and Oakland. They met Irene Belle Ruggles, who led the California Association of Colored Women. Phyllis heard her mother give a speech there. Her mother praised the kind people they met and the beauty of Treasure Island.

Phyllis later became a "postmaster" for new groups fighting for civil rights and women's vote. She helped historians and scholars learn about the struggles of African Americans. She worked closely with the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs.

In 1944, Phyllis watched the ship SS Harriet Tubman being launched. She was there with other women from the National Council of Negro Women.

Protecting Frederick Douglass's Home

Frederick Douglass National Historic Site

In 1962, Phyllis Terrell helped make the Frederick Douglass Home in Washington, DC, a National Shrine. This was done through a special law passed by Congress.

The Terrell family's summer home was in Highland Beach, Maryland. It was right next to the house that Major Charles R. Douglass built for his father, Frederick Douglass, in 1893. Highland Beach was a popular summer spot. Many important Black figures visited there. These included educator Booker T. Washington, poets Langston Hughes and Paul Laurence Dunbar, and early Black Congressmen like John Mercer Langston.

Personal Life

Phyllis Terrell married William C. Goines in 1930. Later, she married Lathall DeWitt Langston. Phyllis did not have her own children. However, her second husband had two sons and one daughter.

Phyllis and her mother, Mary Church Terrell, wrote letters to each other for almost 40 years. Phyllis often called her mother "My dearest mother." She would sign her letters "Your little daughter, Phyllis" or "Lovingly, Phippie."

Phyllis died on August 21, 1989. She passed away at her summer home in Highland Beach, Maryland. Her mother had also died there in July 1954.

Images for kids

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  1919 Letter from Phyllis Terrell to mother Mary Church Terrell