Enolia Pettigen McMillan (October 20, 1904 – October 24, 2006) was an American

educator A teacher, also called a schoolteacher or formally an educator, is a person who helps students to acquire knowledge, competence, or virtue, via the practice of teaching. ''Informally'' the role of teacher may be taken on by anyone (e.g. whe ...

civil rights activist 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 ...

, and

community leader Community leader is a designation, often by secondary sources (particularly in the media), for a person widely perceived to represent a community. A simple way to understand community leadership is to see it as leadership in, for and by the communit ...

and the first female national president of the

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is a civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E.&nb ...

Early life

Born Enolia Virginia Pettigen in

Willow Grove, Pennsylvania Willow Grove is a census-designated place (CDP) in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. A community in Philadelphia's northern suburbs, the population was 15,726 at the 2010 census. It is located in Upper Dublin Township, Abington To ...

, she was the daughter of Elizabeth Fortune Pettigen and John Pettigen, the latter a former slave. When she was eight years old, the family moved to

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

in search of improved educational opportunities. Enolia Pettigen attended Frederick Douglass High School in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

and later

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

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, ...

with the help of a scholarship from

Alpha Kappa Alpha Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. () is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen stud ...

. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1926. McMillan received a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in 1933 from

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. During her masters education, she began to question the Maryland public education system and used the topic for her master's

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

entitled ''Some Factors Affecting Secondary Education for Negroes in Maryland Counties (Excluding Baltimore)''. The thesis attacked Maryland's racist dual school system in the 1930s. She found that the system provided unequal school terms, salary scales and curricula.

Career

She became a teacher in 1927 in

Caroline County, Maryland Caroline County is a rural county located in the U.S. state of Maryland on its Eastern Shore. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,293. Its county seat is Denton. Caroline County is bordered by Queen Anne's County to the north, Talb ...

teaching at

Denton High School Denton High School is a public high school located in the city of Denton, Texas and classified as a 5A school by the UIL. It is a part of the Denton Independent School District located in central Denton County and was the original high schoo ...

. In 1928, she became a principal in Charles County. She became president of the Maryland State Colored Teachers' Association and regional vice-president of the National Association of Colored Teachers. After the 1954 ''

Brown v. Board of Education ''Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka'', 347 U.S. 483 (1954), was a landmark decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segrega ...

'' ruling outlawing segregated public schools, she was one of the first black teachers at a white school. She retired from teaching in 1968. In 1969, she defeated Juanita Mitchell to become president of the Baltimore branch of the

. During her presidency, the National Office was threatened with bankruptcy in 1976 due to legal proceedings against it in connection with a 1966

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

of white merchants in

Port Gibson, Mississippi Port Gibson is a city in Claiborne County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 1,567 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. Port Gibson is the county seat of Claiborne County, which is bordered on the west by the Mississippi Ri ...

. She launched a fundraising drive to help defray expenses, and her efforts resulted in the Baltimore branch raising the largest local contribution of $150,000. In 1984, she became the first woman to be elected national president of the NAACP, and she held the position until 1990. The role at the time was largely ceremonial, but McMillan had considerable influence in the organization's policies and operations. Along with former NAACP Executive Director

Benjamin Hooks Benjamin Lawson Hooks (January 31, 1925 – April 15, 2010) was an American civil rights leader and government official. A Baptist minister and practicing attorney, he served as executive director of the National Association for the Advancemen ...

, she is credited with organizing the organization's move from New York to Baltimore in 1986. She was an outspoken critic of the

Reagan Administration Ronald Reagan's tenure as the 40th president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 1981, and ended on January 20, 1989. Reagan, a Republican from California, took office following a landslide victory over D ...

, which she felt harmed the NAACP's advocacy efforts in housing, education, employment and business. During her tenure, she also helped black businesses to receive federal contracts, and, in 1985, led a protest in Washington against South Africa's apartheid system. In 1975, she was named the first female chair of the board of regents at

Morgan State University Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known ...

Personal life

On December 26, 1935, Enolia Pettigen married Betha D. McMillan. They had a son, Betha McMillan Jr., in 1940. She died October 24, 2006, in Stevenson, Maryland from

heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

just four days after celebrating her 102nd birthday. She is buried at King Memorial Park in Baltimore.

Awards and honors

* She was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1990. * She was awarded an Honorary Degree in Public Service from The University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1991. * In 2000, the street near the NAACP's Baltimore branch was renamed Enolia P. McMillan Way.

References

Sources

* Frances N. Beckles. "Enolia Pettigen McMillan" in ''20 Black Women: A Profile of Contemporary Black Maryland Women''. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1978. pp. 92–99 * Adam Bernstein.
Enolia McMillan; First Woman to Lead NAACP
. ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'', October 26, 2006 p. B7 * "Enolia Pettigen McMillan" in ''Notable Black American Women'', Gale Research, 1992. * Nicole Fuller and Kelly Brewington. "'Matriarch of NAACP' dies at 102". ''

The Baltimore Sun ''The Baltimore Sun'' is the largest general-circulation daily newspaper based in the U.S. state of Maryland and provides coverage of local and regional news, events, issues, people, and industries. Founded in 1837, it is currently owned by Tr ...

'', October 25, 2006 p. 1A, 9A * Carolyn B. Stegman. "Enolia Pettigen McMillan" in ''Women of Achievement in Maryland History''. Forestville, MD, 2002. p. 37-38. {{DEFAULTSORT:McMillan, Enolia NAACP activists African-American people American centenarians Columbia University alumni Howard University alumni People from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania Educators from Philadelphia American women educators People from Baltimore 1904 births 2006 deaths Activists from Philadelphia African-American centenarians Women centenarians 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century American people 21st-century American women