Mary Church Terrell: This Week In African American History - July 21, 2008
On this day in 1954 our community lost one of it’s great leaders in Mary Church Terrell. Being the daughter of the South’s first African American millionaire, Mrs. Terrell could have walked a different path and enjoyed a life of luxury. Instead she was a powerful educator, civil rights leader, 1st president of the National Association of Colored Women, involved in the founding of the NAACP, 1st Black to serve on the District of Columbia Board of Education, founded the Colored Women’s League, neighbor of Frederick Douglass, wrote the Delta Oath, was a distinguished honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority at Howard University, Magnum Cum Laude graduate of Oberlin College in 1884, and delegate for colored women at the International Congress of Women in Berlin in 1904. Below you will find some photos of this American legend and African American Icon.
“A white woman has only one handicap to overcome - a great one, true, her sex.
A colored woman faces two—her sex and her race.”
Comments
Comment from Haasim
Time: July 31, 2008, 8:39 pm
Thanks for setting the record straight. I made a mistake on the school that she graduated from. I meant to type Oberlin and for that error I apologize and am grateful people such as you can make sure that I am presenting information that is right and exact to the public. As far as the Delta Creed is concerned, I will change my information but my source for part of this article was Tennessee State (www.tnstate.edu/library/digital/terrell.htm) and it does mention that she was an honorary member, a fact that I overlooked, however it also states that she assisted in the formation of the sorority in 1914. I will make a sincere effort to make sure I do a better job in the future. Thanks for tightening me up sis!
Comment from Haasim
Time: July 31, 2008, 8:45 pm
Most of the information you posted in the comment has been verified, there are however several sources on the internet the mention Mary Terrell assisted in the formation of Delta Sigma Theta. However, I am going to remove this reference because the Delta Sigma Theta site and Wikipedia only mention her as an honorary member. The blog has been updated accordingly. Thanks again for you contribution to the blog.
Comment from LadyFortitude
Time: July 27, 2008, 10:21 am
Mary Church Terrell graduated from Oberlin in 1884, not Howard. She wrote the Delta Oath — there is no “Delta Creed.” Also, she did not “assist in the formation” of the sorority — rather, she was one of the sorority’s first distinguished honorary members