Carrie Williams Clifford (September 1862 in Chillicothe, Ohio – November 10, 1934) was an author,

clubwoman The woman's club movement was a social movement that took place throughout the United States that established the idea that women had a moral duty and responsibility to transform public policy. While women's organizations had always been a par ...

, and activist in the

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

and

civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life o ...

movements in the United States.

Biography

Personal life

Born in Chillicothe, Ohio and raised and educated in the state, Clifford left the state to teach in Parkersburg, West Virginia, for three years. In 1886, she returned to Cleveland, Ohio, married Ohio state legislator William H. Clifford, and became an engaged clubwoman. In 1908, she moved with her husband and two children, Maurice and Joshua, to

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

Clifford died on November 10, 1934, and was buried at

Woodland Cemetery Woodland Cemetery may refer to: * Woodland cemetery, a type of cemetery or it may refer to specific places: in Sweden * Skogskyrkogården (The Woodland Cemetery) in Stockholm, Sweden in the United States (by state) * Woodland Cemetery (Quincy, I ...

in Cleveland, Ohio.

Political work

While living in Cleveland, Clifford founded the Minerva Reading Club, which discussed current social problems. Her work as the assistant recording secretary for the

National Association of Colored Women The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of ...

led her to found the Ohio Federation of Colored Women's Clubs in 1901. She served as the organization's first president while she lived in Cleveland. Clifford developed a close relationship with W. E. B. DuBois, beginning when she hosted a talk by him in Cleveland. At his request, Clifford helped organize a women's auxiliary within the

Niagara Movement The Niagara Movement (NM) was a black civil rights organization founded in 1905 by a group of activists—many of whom were among the vanguard of African-American lawyers in the United States—led by W. E. B. Du Bois and William Monroe Trotter. ...

and succeeded in recruiting a large number of female delegates for the 1907 Niagara Movement meeting in Boston. Once she moved to Washington, D.C., she hosted regular Sunday evening gatherings, frequented by DuBois and other black activists involved in the Harlem Renaissance like Mary Church Terrell. When the NAACP grew out of the Niagara Movement, Clifford transitioned into the new organization, serving on the central leadership committee and as a leader of the group's work on children's issues. She worked with other prominent black activist women, including Mary Church Terrell and Addie D. Waites Hunton, on this issue and others, including lynching. Clifford's anti-lynching work involved helping organize a Silent Parade in Washington, D.C. in 1922 and meeting with President William Taft to show the NAACP's support for anti-lynching reforms. Beyond her work for the NAACP, Clifford was also a frequent lecturer, speaking on issues related to politics and race.

Writing

Clifford wrote two books of poetry, ''Race Rhymes'' (1911) and ''The Widening Light'' (1922), the first of which she dedicated to her mother and the second which she dedicated to her race. She wrote in the preface of ''Race Rhymes'' that the common theme of the poems is "the uplift of humanity" and that she hoped her poems would "change some evil heart, right some wrong and raise some arm strong to deliver." The poems in these books grapple with issues of racial and gender inequality, discuss current events in black political life, and celebrate black historical figures. Issues like lynching appear both in her poetry and political advocacy work. She also wrote in favor of temperance.

Clifford's political work and poetry intersected in her involvement in black newspapers. Her poems, with their political messages, were occasionally published in these papers, and she published essays there as well. In her essay "Votes for Children," published in the NAACP paper ''

The Crisis ''The Crisis'' is the official magazine of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). It was founded in 1910 by W. E. B. Du Bois (editor), Oswald Garrison Villard, J. Max Barber, Charles Edward Russell, Kelly Mi ...

'', Clifford argued in favor of women's enfranchisement as a way of protecting children and the family. Clifford also contributed to the women's section of the ''Cleveland Journal'' as its editor. Beyond being the organization's president, Clifford further contributed to the Ohio Federation of Colored Women's Clubs by editing their recurring publication and an essay collection.

Works

Books

* ''Race Rhymes,'' Printed by R. L. Pendleton, Washington, D.C.: 1911. * ''The Widening Light,'' Walter Reid Co., Boston, MA: 1922. * (edited) ''Sowing for Others to Reap'', Charles Alexander, Boston, MA, 1900.

Poems

* "Brothers." ''Opportunity''. 1925 * "Lines to Garrison." ''Alexander's Magazine'' 1 (1906–1907): 8–9. * "Love’s Way (A Christmas Story)." ''Alexander's Magazine'' 1 (1906–1907): 55–58.

Essays

*"Cleveland and its Colored People" (1905) *"Votes for Children" (August 1915), ''The Crisis'' 10: 185

References

Bibliography

*Wilson, Rosemary Clifford, Introduction to Clifford, Carrie W., ''The Widening Light''. Walter Reid Co., Boston, 1922. *Kerlin, Robert, ''Negro Poets and Their Poems''. Associate Publishers, Washington, D.C., 1923. *Carter, Linda M., ''Notable Black American Women, Book II''. Gale Research Inc., Detroit, 1996. *Roses, Lorraine Eleana and Randolph, Ruth Elizabeth (eds.), ''Harlem’s Glory: Black Women Writing, 1900–1950''. Harvard University Press, Cambridge MA, 1996. *Roses, Lorraine, ''Black Women in America.''

External links

*
Race Rhymes
' at archive.org *
The Widening Light
' at archive.org {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifford, Carrie Williams 1862 births 1934 deaths American women's rights activists People from Chillicothe, Ohio American women poets African-American poets Activists from Ohio Burials at Woodland Cemetery (Cleveland) Poets from Ohio 20th-century American poets 20th-century American women writers African-American activists 20th-century African-American women writers 20th-century African-American writers People from Parkersburg, West Virginia Schoolteachers from West Virginia