Anna M. McGarry (March 17, 1894 – January 2, 1978) was a leading U.S. advocate in interracial justice and veteran social action leader. Most of her work occurred in the city of

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

, where she was a central figure in improving race relations. She was also a journalist for the '' Philadelphia Tribune''.

Early life

Anna McGarry was born on March 17, 1894, in Philadelphia to John and Sara McGinley. One of eight children, she attended

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

in Philadelphia and two years of commercial high school. She worked as a bookkeeper with National Label Company early in her life. She married Francis McGarry in 1917, who left her a widow in 1921.

Social work

After her husband's death, she began to take an active role in repairing inhospitable race relations in Philadelphia. As a young widow, she was aghast by the social inequalities inherent in her own neighborhood. She dedicated her life to

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...

, spreading word of the mounting problems during the 1930s by teaching. Beginning with

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, she helped found and began working with the Philadelphia Catholic Interracial Council, becoming a staff member of the city's Commission on Human Relations and fighting for fair employment practices for African-Americans in that capacity. She was a critical figure in ameliorating conflicts such as the racial violence set off when, during World War II, African-Americans obtained jobs in the city's transit system, encountering hostile Irish transit union leaders.Clark, Dennis (1982)
''The Irish Relations: Trials of an Immigrant Tradition''
p. 154. Associated University Presses, Inc. She hosted a weekly radio program on interracial justice and wrote a weekly column on it in an African-American Philadelphia newspaper. A leading figure in the

National Catholic Conference for Interracial Justice National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

and the National Catholic Social Action Conference, she went on to press for equal access to educational, housing, and public facilities for all, regardless of race. After her formal retirement in 1959, she remained active in those organizations, and she continued to tour and give public speeches in an attempt to raise awareness of the social and economic barriers faced by African-Americans. While the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

condoned her message of social justice, she was seen as too

radical Radical may refer to: Politics and ideology Politics *Radical politics, the political intent of fundamental societal change *Radicalism (historical), the Radical Movement that began in late 18th century Britain and spread to continental Europe and ...

and thus often had to pursue her endeavors without its assistance.

Honors

McGarry received numerous accolades during her career, including honors from the New York Catholic Interracial Council, the

National Conference of Christians and Jews The National Conference for Community and Justice is an American social justice organization focused on fighting biases and promoting understanding between people of different races and cultures. The organization was founded in 1927 as the Natio ...

, the

Immaculata College Immaculata University is a private Roman Catholic university in East Whiteland Township, Pennsylvania. It was founded by the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The university is composed of 1,427 traditional undergraduate and ad ...

Alumnae Philadelphia chapter, the ''Afro-American Newspaper'', and the Philadelphia Puerto Rican Community.

References

External links

Anna M. McGarry Papers
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGarry, Anna 1894 births 1978 deaths People from Loveland, Ohio Activists from Ohio 20th-century American women 20th-century American people

Early life

Social work

Honors

References

Further reading

External links