Idella Jones Childs (June 21, 1903 – August 8, 1998) was an American educator,

historian A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the st ...

and

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 of ...

. Childs worked as a teacher for 35 years in Perry County in

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County , LargestMetro = Greater Birmingham , area_total_km2 = 135,765 ...

. During the

civil rights movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

, her home was a meeting place for activists. She was the mother of Jean Childs Young, who later married

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 ...

who went on to become mayor of

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

. Childs worked as historian, helping to put two places in Alabama on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

. She also became the first black woman to sit on the city council in

Marion Marion may refer to: People *Marion (given name) *Marion (surname) *Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion" *Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992) Places Antarctica * Mario ...

. Childs was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame in 2002. An award named after Childs is given out from the

Alabama Historical Commission The Alabama Historical Commission is the historic preservation agency for the U.S. state of Alabama. The agency was created by an act of the state legislature in 1966 with a mission of safeguarding Alabama’s historic buildings and sites. It cons ...

for the recognition of those who have contributed to the preservation of historic

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

places.

Biography

Childs was born in Perry County in

on June 21, 1903, and would live her entire life there. Childs attended

Lincoln Normal School The Lincoln Normal School, originally Lincoln School and later reorganized as State Normal School and University for the Education of Colored Teachers and Students, was a historic African American school expanded to include a normal school in Mari ...

and earned her teacher's certificate there. She studied elementary education at

Alabama State University Alabama State University (ASU) is a public historically black university in Montgomery, Alabama. Founded in 1867, ASU is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. History Alabama State University was founded in 1867 as the ...

. She married Norman Childs and together they had five children. She earned her degree long after her first child was born. Childs' daughter, Jean Childs Young, was born on July 1, 1933. Childs taught in

segregated schools Segregation may refer to: Separation of people * Geographical segregation, rates of two or more populations which are not homogenous throughout a defined space * School segregation * Housing segregation * Racial segregation, separation of humans ...

for over 35 years, teaching biology, algebra, history and social studies. During the

Civil Rights Movement The civil rights movement was a nonviolent social and political movement and campaign from 1954 to 1968 in the United States to abolish legalized institutional racial segregation, discrimination, and disenfranchisement throughout the Unite ...

, Childs' home became a meeting place for those involved in civil rights in

. In 1979, she was named an honorary member of the National Commission on the

International Year of the Child UNESCO proclaimed 1979 as the International Year of the Child.

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 1 ...

. She founded and became the first chair of the Perry County Arts and Humanities Council in 1982. In May 1985, she was appointed to fill a council seat in Marion. Childs was the first black woman to serve on the council. She was re-elected to the seat in 1988. Also in 1988, she was appointed to the board of the

. She helped add the First Congregational Church Building and the Mary Elizabeth Phillips Thompson Auditorium of the Lincoln Normal School to the

. Childs earned NASA's Unsung Heroes Award in 1993. Childs died on August 8, 1998. Hundreds attended a memorial service held in her honor at Lincoln Normal School. Childs was buried in the Marion Cemetery on Lafayette Street. In 2002, she was inducted into the Alabama Women's Hall of Fame. Her son-in-law,

, was a keynote speaker. The Alabama Historical Commission's Black Heritage Council gives out an award in her name. The award, known as the Idella Childs Distinguished Service Award, "recognizes people who have contributed to the preservation of African American historic places."

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Childs, Idella Jones 1903 births 1998 deaths People from Marion, Alabama African-American educators Activists for African-American civil rights African-American city council members in Alabama African-American historians American women historians American women educators Alabama State University alumni Alabama city council members Schoolteachers from Alabama 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians African-American activists 20th-century American politicians 20th-century American women politicians Historians from Alabama Women city councillors in Alabama African-American women writers

Biography

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