Katherine "Flossie" Bailey (1895 – February 6, 1952) was a civil rights and anti-lynching activist from Indiana. She established a local chapter of the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
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. ...
(NAACP) in
Marion Marion may refer to:
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, Indiana, in 1918 and became especially active fighting for justice and equality following the double lynching of
Thomas Shipp and
Abram Smith in 1930. As president of the Indiana NAACP, Bailey was pivotal in lobbying for passage of a statewide
anti-lynching law in Indiana in 1931 and advocated for a similar bill at the national level. She was also a recipient of the national NAACP's
Madam C. J. Walker Medal.
Early life and education
Katherine Harvey, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Charles Harvey, was born in
Kokomo, Indiana, in 1895. Known as "Flossie", she grew up in Kokomo and attended
Kokomo High School
Kokomo High School (merged with Haworth High School in 1984) is a four-year public high school in Kokomo, Indiana, USA. The school is the only high school in the Kokomo School Corporation.
History
The earliest Kokomo High School found in rec ...
.
[ ][James H. Madison, "Katherine 'Flossie' Bailey" in ]
Marriage and family
Flossie married Walter T. Bailey, a physician, in 1917. The couple resided in
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
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, Indiana.
[ Doctor Bailey died on February 10, 1950.][ ] Their only surviving child was a son, named Walter Charles Bailey.[
While living in Marion, Bailey also became actively involved in the Marion community. She was a member of the city's Bethel ]African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...
congregation.
Career
Bailey spent her adult life seeking equality and justice as a civil rights activist. In 1918 Bailey established the Marion branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
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. ...
(NAACP). Initially it did not receive much support. In June 1930 it had 96 members; however, after the Marion community was the site of a lynching in August 1930, the local chapter's membership increase to 155 members by the end of 1930.[Madison, "Katherine 'Flossie' Bailey" in ''Indiana's 200'', p. 11.]
On August 7, 1930, a mob broke into the Grant County Grant County may refer to:
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*Grant County, Indiana
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, Indiana, jail in Marion, dragged two African-American men, Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith, to the Courthouse Square and lynched (hanged) them from a tree. Bailey, who was the president of the local branch of the NAACP, tried to obtain police protection for the jailed men prior to the lynching. Afterwards, she was actively involved in organizing a Hoosier
Hoosier is the official demonym for the people of the U.S. state of Indiana. The origin of the term remains a matter of debate, but "Hoosier" was in general use by the 1840s, having been popularized by Richmond resident John Finley's 1833 poem " ...
delegation of NAACP members to speak to Indiana governor Harry Leslie and persuade him to intervene in the investigation of the men's murders.[
Bailey and a number of others worked hard to obtain a fair investigation into the double lynching. Despite objections from those in the Marion community who wanted to forget about the event, Bailey and the NAACP played an important role in seeking justice for the murders of Shipp and Smith, as well as to restore calm in Marion. Two men were indicted and went on trial for the lynching, but neither one was found guilty of the crime and no one was ever punished for the deaths of Shipp and Smith.][Madison, "Flossie Bailey," ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', pp. 23–25.]
In 1930, Bailey was elected president of the Indiana NAACP and helped plan its second annual meeting. The Bailey home in Marion became the Indiana headquarters for the NAACP.[ The national organization recognized Bailey's efforts by awarding her the Madam C. J. Walker Medal for "the person who has done the best work in the NAACP during the year."][Madison, "Flossie Bailey", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', p. 25.]
Bailey worked to ensure nothing like the lynching in Marion would occur again. She lobbied the Indiana General Assembly
The Indiana General Assembly is the state legislature, or legislative branch, of the state of Indiana. It is a bicameral legislature that consists of a lower house, the Indiana House of Representatives, and an upper house, the Indiana Senate. Th ...
to pass stricter anti-lynching laws. When opponents to the bill rejected many of the safety measures, Bailey organized a statewide effort, calling on chapters of the NAACP, Optimist Club
Optimist International is an international service club organization with almost 3,000 clubs and over 80,000 members in more than 20 countries. The international headquarters is located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Optimist Internation ...
s, Exchange Clubs, and Democratic organizations to lobby state legislators. Bailey's efforts were successful and the governor signed a stricter anti-lynching law in March 1931. Once the Indiana bill became law, Bailey began lobbying for a national anti-lynching law, as well as for the fair treatment of African Americans in other sectors of American life. Bailey especially focused on fighting to end the segregation of schools, hospitals, and other public spaces such as movie theaters.[Madison, "Flossie Bailey", ''Traces of Indiana and Midwestern History'', pp. 25–26.]
Later years
Bailey and the NAACP struggled during the years of the Great Depression. Her husband, who suffered a stroke, closed his medical practice in Marion around 1940, and the couple moved to Indianapolis.[Madison, "Katherine 'Flossie' Bailey" in ''Indiana's 200'', p. 12.]
Death and legacy
Bailey died in Indianapolis on February 6, 1952. As an activist and president of the Indiana NAACP in the 1930s, her leadership helped establish a foundation for the civil rights movement of the 1950s.[
]
Notes
References
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* Madison, James H., "Katherine "Flossie" Bailey in
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bailey, Flossie
1895 births
1952 deaths
American anti-lynching activists
American civil rights activists
Women civil rights activists
People from Kokomo, Indiana
20th-century African-American women
20th-century African-American people