Mary "Mamie" J. Dillard (September 10, 1874 – November 25, 1954) was an American educator, clubwoman and suffragist.

Early life

Mary J. Dillard was born on September 10, 1874, in

Lawrence, Kansas Lawrence is the county seat of Douglas County, Kansas, Douglas County, Kansas, United States, and the sixth-largest city in the state. It is in the northeastern sector of the state, astride Interstate 70, between the Kansas River, Kansas and Waka ...

. She was born to Fannie B. Dillard and Jesse Dillard, both born in Virginia and both illiterate. When the family moved to Kansas in the 1870s, Jesse worked as a messenger for the Leavenworth, Lawrence, and Galveston Railroad Company and as a janitor at the Lawrence National Bank Building.

Education and Community Activism

Dillard graduated from Lawrence High School in 1892 and was the only African American in her class. As part of the ceremony she delivered a speech in support of the Women's Christian Temperance Union. She joined the segregated WCTU at the age of 18 and promoted the organization's work in Women's Suffrage. In 1896 she received a bachelor's degree from Kansas University and went on to start her career as a teacher at the segregated ''Pinckney Elementary School'' in Lawrence. One of her students in the early twentieth century was

Langston Hughes James Mercer Langston Hughes (February 1, 1901 – May 22, 1967) was an American poet, social activist, novelist, playwright, and columnist from Joplin, Missouri. One of the earliest innovators of the literary art form called jazz poetry, Hug ...

, whom she befriended and corresponded with for years after he left Kansas. One letter between Hughes and Dillard survives and can be found in the Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library in New Haven, Connecticut. From 1909 to 1913, Dillard attended graduate school at the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

where she studied English and special education. She then became the principal of the segregated elementary school, the Lincoln School. In 1916, she attended the Negro National Educational Congress as an appointed delegate from Kansas. Dillard was an active clubwoman. She was a member of the African-American

Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

, joining at the age of 18. She was also a member of the Double Six Club, the Home and Garden Club, the Self Culture Club, and the Sierra Leone Club. She was involved as a patron of the University of Kansas chapter of the

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

sorority. Dillard was also a suffrage activist, working with Carrie Langston to advocate for African-American women to become involved with the

suffrage movement Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

. Dillard died on November 24, 1954, in Lawrence, where she had lived her entire life.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillard, Mamie 1872 births 1950 deaths Clubwomen African-American suffragists American suffragists Educators from Kansas 19th-century American women educators People from Lawrence, Kansas University of Kansas alumni Activists from Kansas 20th-century American educators 19th-century American educators 20th-century American women educators 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American educators 19th-century African-American educators

Early life

Education and Community Activism

See also

References