Fannie Emma Pennington (February 1, 1914 – February 13, 2013) was an American activist, organizer, and fundraising coordinator for U.S. Congressional Representative (Harlem)

Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Adam Clayton Powell Jr. (November 29, 1908 – April 4, 1972) was an American Baptist pastor and politician who represented the Harlem neighborhood of New York City in the United States House of Representatives from 1945 until 1971. He was t ...

's Isaac Democratic Club and the

Abyssinian Baptist Church The Abyssinian Baptist Church is a Baptist megachurch located at 132 West 138th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Lenox Avenue in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, New York City, affiliated with the National Baptist Conv ...

A.C.P. Overseas Club. She was also a member of the New York City Board of Elections and the Frederick E. Samuel Community Democratic Club, the Satellite Club, the Courtesy Guild, the Progressive Ladies Usher Board of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, the ABC Welcome and Hospitality Committee. She was an official representative of the Barmaid Charity Organization. She was a New York leader of the bus organizing efforts in 1963 for the

March on Washington The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, also known as simply the March on Washington or The Great March on Washington, was held in Washington, D.C., on August 28, 1963. The purpose of the march was to advocate for the civil and economic righ ...

. During her career, Pennington greeted and hosted historic world figures, activists, and civil rights leaders including, Ambassador

Andrew Young Andrew Jackson Young Jr. (born March 12, 1932) is an American politician, diplomat, and activist. Beginning his career as a pastor, Young was an early leader in the civil rights movement, serving as executive director of the Southern Christian L ...

Gil Noble Gilbert Edward "Gil" Noble (February 22, 1932 – April 5, 2012) was an American television reporter and interviewer. He was the producer and host of New York City television station WABC-TV's weekly show '' Like It Is'', originally co-hosted with ...

Bill Cosby William Henry Cosby Jr. ( ; born July 12, 1937) is an American stand-up comedian, actor, and media personality. He made significant contributions to American and African-American culture, and is well known in the United States for his eccentric ...

Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson (né Burns; born October 8, 1941) is an American political activist, Baptist minister, and politician. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as a shadow U.S. senator ...

Moms Mabley Loretta Mary Aiken (March 19, 1894 – May 23, 1975), known by her stage name Jackie "Moms" Mabley, was an American stand-up comedian and actress. Mabley began her career on the theater stage in the 1920s and became a veteran entertainer of the ...

Eleanor Roosevelt Anna Eleanor Roosevelt () (October 11, 1884November 7, 1962) was an American political figure, diplomat, and activist. She was the first lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945, during her husband President Franklin D. Roosevelt's four ...

Haile Selassie Haile Selassie I ( gez, ቀዳማዊ ኀይለ ሥላሴ, Qädamawi Häylä Səllasé, ; born Tafari Makonnen; 23 July 189227 August 1975) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. He rose to power as Regent Plenipotentiary of Ethiopia (' ...

Mary McLeod Bethune Mary Jane McLeod Bethune ( McLeod; July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitarian, Womanism, womanist, and civil rights activist. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935, established th ...

, Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister and activist, one of the most prominent leaders in the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968 ...

, and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an American Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. A spokesman for the Nation of Is ...

Life

Fannie Emma Pennington was born and raised in

Macon, North Carolina Macon is a town located in Warren County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 119. It is named for Nathaniel Macon, long-time Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives. Geography Macon i ...

. In the late 1940s, she was a bar maid at several clubs and bars in Harlem, including the original Red Rooster, the Palm Cafe and Tom Delaney's Mirror Bar. Pennington and her mother Hattie Harris are great-great granddaughters of Sir William Harris of Essex, England. The Harris family moved from England to Macon, North Carolina and had both white and black offspring. She had a daughter with Leonard Harper named Jean Harper. In 1958, Pennington stepped into the political arena, working on a number of fund-raising campaigns for

and community organizations. Then there was the historic

in 1963, where she coordinated buses from New York to Washington D.C. in an effort led by

Bayard Rustin Bayard Rustin (; March 17, 1912 – August 24, 1987) was an African American leader in social movements for civil rights, socialism, nonviolence, and gay rights. Rustin worked with A. Philip Randolph on the March on Washington Movement, in 19 ...

. In 1960 she formed and supervised The Glamourettes a group of young women who campaigned for the

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

Presidential run. Pennington received citations and proclamations from the New York City Council Member C. Virginia Fields on March 26, 1992 for her civic service, and The Abyssinian Baptist Church Sept. 9, 1973 for Christian service (conferred along with Golden Membership by Abyssinian on Sunday, March 9, 2003).

Honors

Pennington was honored by the NYC Board of Elections, Rev.

Calvin Butts Calvin Otis Butts III (July 19, 1949 – October 28, 2022) was an American academic administrator and a senior pastor of the Abyssinian Baptist Church, which historically was the largest black church in New York City. He led the Abyssinian Devel ...

Pastor Abyssinian Baptist Church, City Council President

Andrew Stein Andrew Stein (born Andrew J. Finkelstein; March 4, 1945) is an American Democratic Party (United States), Democratic politician who served on the New York City Council and was its last president, and as Manhattan Borough President. Early life St ...

, Assemblywoman Geraldine Daniels, Judge George Bundy Smith, and Judge Henry Williams. She received the

Samuel Proctor Samuel Proctor (March 29, 1919 – July 10, 2005) was an American history professor and author. He taught at the University of Florida (UF) and wrote about the school and the state's history. Early life and education Proctor was born in Jacks ...

Phoenix Award from the Abyssinian Development Corporation on March 26, 1992 and chosen a Democratic County committee member of the 70th Assembly District 56 ED on October 1, 1983 by New York Assemblywoman Geraldine Daniels and U.S. Congressman

Charles Rangel Charles Bernard Rangel (, ; born June 11, 1930) is an American politician who was a U.S. representative for districts in New York from 1971 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the second-longest serving incumbent member of the Ho ...

. Pennington received the Adam Powell Merit Award (for Community Activity and Political Relations from the Alfred E. Isaac Club of Democrats from Cong.

in 1965, the 5th. Council District Community Service Award by New York City Councilwoman C. Virginia Fields on August 11, 1991, Board of Elections Congratulations April 23, 1993, the Community Democratic Club of Harlem Award on May 30, 1981 and on June 13, 1997 by . Fred Samuel Councilman, a New York City Citation by New York City Councilwoman Inez E. Dickens on Feb. 1, 2010 and on April 1, 1992 Pennington received a New York State Legislative Resolution from Assemblywoman Geraldine Daniels. Pennington was featured (Photo of the Week) with New York State. Assemblyman Keith L.T. Wright in The Harlem Times on June 4, 2005. In 1992 U.S. Congressman

16th District of New York presented Pennington with an Outstanding Achievement Recognition Award. On June 13, 1997 Pennington was presented with a Community Service Award by New York State Assemblyman Keith Wright and New York City Councilwoman C. Virginia Fields.

Legacy

"Fannie Pennington Way" was approved for co-naming of 123rd Street & Manhattan Avenue by the City of New York Manhattan Community Board 10 at the General Board Meeting on Wednesday, June 7, 2017. On September 22, 2018, Fannie Pennington's Grandson Grant Harper Reid author of Rhythm For Sale and grandson of

Leonard Harper (producer) Leonard Harper (April 9, 1899, Birmingham, Alabama – February 4, 1943, Harlem, New York) was a producer, stager, and choreographer in New York City during the Harlem Renaissance in the 1920s and 1930s. Harper's works spanned the worlds of vau ...

unveiled "Fannie Pennington Way" on the North/East corner of Manhattan Avenue & 123rd Street in Manhattan

https://issuu.com/makf/docs/harlem_oct_4_/17]. Pennington was named as one of the 2015 National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, NAACP History Makers. In the

House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...

on 11 March 2011, Senator

spoke of women like Pennington as 'precious gifts we temporarily have in this world, but their assistance, contributions and accomplishments are far remembered and everlasting.' and concluded 'as we celebrate the 150th Anniversary of the

Emancipation Proclamation The Emancipation Proclamation, officially Proclamation 95, was a presidential proclamation and executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the Civil War. The Proclamation changed the legal sta ...

, the 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and the 100th Birthday of

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...

, let us also celebrate the 99 years of our beloved Fannie E. Pennington.

Bibliography

* Rangel, Charles B., and Leon E. Wynter. 2007. ''And I haven't had a bad day since: from the streets of Harlem to the halls of Congress.'' Page 108 New York: Thomas Dunne Books/St. Martin's Press. * Halsell, Grace. 1969. ''Soul sister'' Pages 67–68. New York: World Pub. Co. * Maria G. Goodson (2015) ''Church Ladies'' Pages, 5, 33-35,36,40-41,42,182,183-186,314-317,340-341, based on the Abyssinian Baptist Church Oral History Project. (66 pages) * Grant Harper Reid. "Rhythm For Sale" https://rhythmforsale.com/rhythm-for-sale * Grant Harper Reid. "Harlem Bible-In the Beginning" https://rhythmforsale.com/harlem-bible

References

External links

* http://amsterdamnews.com/news/2016/feb/04/martia-goodson-speaks-church-ladies/
"Celebrating the Life of Harlem’s Matriarch Ms. Fannie E. Pennington."

"Abyssinian Baptist Church Oral History Project."
1992. * Henderson, Jeff, and Ramin Ganeshram
"North Carolina Style Ham Hocks."
2011. ''America I am: pass it down cookbook''. New York: Smiley Books. {{DEFAULTSORT:Pennington, Fannie 1914 births 2013 deaths People from Macon, North Carolina People from Harlem African-American activists 20th-century African-American women 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women