Rosa Slade Gragg facts for kids
Dr. Rosa Slade Gragg (born April 30, 1904 – died February 19, 1989) was an important American activist and politician. She helped create the first school in Detroit, Michigan, that taught job skills to Black students. She also advised three United States presidents. In 1987, she was honored by being added to the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.
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Early Life and Education
Rosa Gragg was born on April 30, 1904, in Hampton, Georgia. She was the oldest of seven children. Her parents were Willis O. Slade and Sarah V. Haynes Slade. Her father was a minister.
Rosa went to school in Georgia. She then attended Morris Brown College in Atlanta, Georgia. She graduated with top honors, which is called summa cum laude. She continued her studies at Tuskegee Institute, the University of Michigan, and Wayne State University.
On June 10, 1926, she married James Robert Gragg. He was a businessman from Detroit. They had one son, James R. Gragg Jr. Their son later became a lawyer and a judge in Michigan. Her husband passed away on December 16, 1956. Rosa Gragg died on February 19, 1989, after being sick for a long time.
Career and Community Work
After finishing college, Rosa Gragg became a teacher in Eatonton, Georgia. She later became the principal of Eatonton High School. Then she was the principal of Acworth High School.
In the 1930s, Gragg became friends with Eleanor Roosevelt. Eleanor Roosevelt was the wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. They worked together to improve relationships between different races. Around this time, Gragg also led the English department at Central Park College in Savannah, Georgia.
Gragg was also good friends with Mary McLeod Bethune. Mary McLeod Bethune started the National Council of Negro Women. This friendship inspired Gragg to help create groups for Black women. She organized many programs in Detroit. Gragg started joining clubs in 1926. In 1941, she bought a house in Detroit to use as a meeting place for these clubs. Some neighbors were not happy about this. Gragg had to close the front door and use the side door as the main entrance.
Working with Presidents
In 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt asked Gragg to join a national advisory board. This board was part of the Federal Office of Civil Defense. It was called the Board of the National Volunteer's Participation Committee of Civil Defense. Gragg was the only Black person on this board at that time.
In 1943, the Governor of Michigan, Murray Van Wagoner, appointed her. She became his advisor on race relations for the Michigan Office of Civil Defense.
In 1960, President John F. Kennedy chose Gragg to be on the National Women's Advisory Committee of the Treasury Department. In 1961, Kennedy also appointed her to the President's Commission On the Status of Women. She also joined the National Women's Committee on Civil Rights. And she was on the Commission on Employment of the Handicapped.
In 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed her to two more committees. These were the National Citizens Committee for Community Relations and the Defense Advisory Committee on Women in the Services.
Slade-Gragg Academy
In 1947, Gragg and her husband started the Slade-Gragg Academy of Practical Arts. This school was the first Black vocational school in Detroit. A vocational school teaches skills for specific jobs. People called it the "Tuskegee of the North." Over 2,000 women and veterans learned skills there. The school was open to everyone, no matter their race. It offered classes in things like tailoring, dress-making, and preparing food. The school closed in 1952.
In 1949, the mayor of Detroit, Eugene Van Antwerp, made Gragg the president of the Commission of the Detroit Department of Public Welfare. She was the first Black person to lead this committee. This commission managed a large budget and had many employees.
Leading Women's Clubs
During World War II, Gragg was the president of the Detroit Association of Colored Women's Clubs. This group later joined the National Association of Colored Women. In 1945, under her leadership, the club had 73 smaller clubs and 3,000 members.
Gragg became the 16th president of the National Association of Colored Women in 1958. She had been the vice-president in 1957. She served as president from 1958 to 1964. In 1960, she asked a historian to write the history of the National Association of Colored Women. The book was published in 1984.
Saving Frederick Douglass's Home
In 1961, the National Association of Colored Women worked to save and fix up Frederick Douglass's home in Washington, D.C.. Frederick Douglass was a famous writer and leader. Gragg started the restoration project at a special event in Washington, D.C. Many important politicians were there. Douglass's adopted grandson was also there.
The club was successful! In 1962, a bill was passed in the United States Congress. This bill made Douglass's home a historic site. President John F. Kennedy signed the bill on September 5, 1962.
Later that year, Gragg gave a special gift to the White House. It was a portrait of Abraham Lincoln that had been in Frederick Douglass's library. The portrait was hung in the Lincoln Room. This was the first time a Black organization gave a gift to the White House. Also in 1962, the club opened several health clinics for women in Washington, D.C.
In 1964, Gragg was chosen as president emeritus of the National Association of Colored Women. This means she was given an honorary title for her past leadership.
Other Affiliations
Throughout her life, Gragg was involved in many other important groups. She was on the Advisory Council of the International Movement of the Atlantic Union. She also worked with the Gandhi Society for Human Rights. She was the secretary on the National Women's Committee on Civil Rights. She also helped with many things in Detroit, like the Women's Committee for the 250th Anniversary of Detroit.
Gragg was a member of several well-known organizations. These included the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the March of Dimes United Foundation, and The Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. She was also a member of the sorority Sigma Gamma Rho.
Awards and Recognitions
Rosa Gragg received many honors for her hard work.
- In 1942, Crisis magazine called her one of the "First Ladies of Colored America."
- In 1946, she was included in the "Who's Who" section of The Detroit News.
- In 1972, the city council and mayor of Detroit named a day in her honor.
- In 1975, the Detroit Public Library named her one of the Black Detroit Leaders.
- In 1981, The Detroit News called her a "Distinguished Warrior."
- The alumni group of Morris Brown College named her their "Outstanding Graduate."
- The city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania gave her the Richard Allen Award.
- She also received the March of Dimes Service Award.
Gragg received honorary doctoral degrees from Paul Quinn College in 1950 and 1955. She also received honorary memberships to the Detroit Urban League Guild, and the sororities Lambda Kappa Nu and Tau Gamma Delta.
