Mary Ellen Peters Black (1851–1919) was a prominent organizer and activist related to women's issues in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States Georgia may also refer to: Places Historical states and entities * Related to the ...

. Black also promoted agricultural reform and increasing educational opportunities, especially for women. She was an active member of the

Atlanta Woman's Club The Atlanta Woman’s Club is one of oldest non-profit woman’s organizations in Atlanta, organized November 11, 1895. It is a 501(c)3 non-profit philanthropic organization made up of professional women of all ages, races and religions. The At ...

as well as the Woman's Auxiliary of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia. In 1918, Mary Turner, a pregnant Black woman from Valdosta, Georgia, protested the lynching of her husband. Her punishment was brutal torture before being burned alive, her fetus cut from her abdomen. Nellie Peters Black sent a letter condoning the lynching of Mary Turner. In a letter to the Negro Women's Clubs, Black told the group that "until you teach your people not to molest the whites, there could be no adjustment."

Childhood

Black's father, Richard Peters, moved from

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to Georgia to survey the railroads, working as a civil engineer. He settled in

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 ...

and married there. Her mother, Mary Jane Thompson, was involved in social clubs and outreach in

, where Nellie grew up. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, Nellie helped her mother provide aid to wounded soldiers at various local hospitals.

Activism

After graduating from Brooke Hall in Pennsylvania, Nellie Peters returned to Atlanta. She soon convinced city officials to build drinking fountains for horses exhausted from the summer heat; it was one of her first examples of civic activism. In 1877, Nellie married George Robinson Black who served as a state senator and later in Congress. Soon after he died of a stroke, Nellie Black became more active in civic reform in Atlanta. Stemming from her interest in public health, Black helped create the King's Daughters Hospital, the first free hospital in Atlanta. Black also served as the Vice President of the Atlanta Anti-Tuberculosis and Visiting Nurse Association, which provided free treatment to both black and white people in the highly segregated society established after the

Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...

. She worked to increase educational opportunities, especially for women. Black was an active member of the

as well as the Woman's Auxiliary of the Episcopal Diocese of Georgia.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Nellie Peters 1851 births 1919 deaths Activists from Atlanta American women's rights activists