Verda Mae Freeman Welcome (18 March 1907 – 22 April 1990) was an American teacher, civil rights leader, and

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

state senator. Welcome was the second black woman to be elected to a state senate in the U.S. ( Cora Mae Brown was the first in 1952). She spent 25 years in the Maryland legislature and worked to pass legislation which enforced stricter employment regulations and discouraged racial discrimination.

Early life and education

Born as Verda Mae Freeman, one of sixteen children of John Nuborn and Ella Theodocia Freeman, Verda Welcome was born on a small farm in

Lake Lure Lake Lure is a town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States. In 2020 the town population was 1,634. Lake Lure was incorporated in 1927, and acquired the lake after which it is named in 1965. History In 1902, Dr. Lucius B. Morse and ...

(previously known as Uree),

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. In 1929, she moved to

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

, and graduated from Coppin State Teachers College three years later. She married Dr. Henry C. Welcome in 1935. She received a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in history from

Morgan State College Morgan State University (Morgan State or MSU) is a public historically black research university in Baltimore, Maryland. It is the largest of Maryland's historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). In 1867, the university, then known a ...

in 1939, and completed a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

in history at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, th ...

in 1943. Between 1934 and 1945, Welcome taught at public schools in

. She was a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority.

Politics

In 1958, Welcome was elected to the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

to represent the Fourth District of Baltimore City, becoming the first black woman to hold the position, which she held for three years. Elected to the Maryland State Senate in 1962, she was the second black woman in the United States to be elected to hold a state senate seat. In April 1964, Welcome survived an assassination attempt; two men were convicted. In 1967, Welcome worked towards eliminating Maryland's racial segregation laws which had been in place since slavery was legal. Welcome was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1968, 1972, and 1976. She served in political office until 1982, when she retired. Welcome died on 22 April 1990 in Baltimore.

Other accomplishments

Welcome was awarded a Woman of the Year award in 1962, which was presented by the Women's Auxiliary to the

National Medical Association The National Medical Association (NMA) is the largest and oldest national organization representing African American physicians and their patients in the United States. The NMA is a 501(c)(3) national professional and scientific organization repr ...

. In 1988, she was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame.

Bibliography

* Maryland General Assembly, ''Verda Freeman Welcome: A Person of Principle'', 1991. * Welcome, Verda F., My Life and Times: Verda F. Welcome As Told to James M. Abraham. Englewood Cliffs, NJ : Henry House Publishers, Inc., 1991.

References

External links

Archives of Maryland (Biographical Series) - Verda Freeman Welcome
* ttp://library.thinkquest.org/3337/welcome.html Thinkquest - Verda Freeman Welcomebr>Verda Welcome: 1st African-American State Senator
- Ghosts of Baltimore blog {{DEFAULTSORT:Welcome, Verda 1907 births 1990 deaths People from Lake Lure, North Carolina African-American state legislators in Maryland African-American women in politics Schoolteachers from Maryland 20th-century American women educators American civil rights activists Democratic Party Maryland state senators Democratic Party members of the Maryland House of Delegates Morgan State University alumni New York University Graduate School of Arts and Science alumni Women state legislators in Maryland 20th-century American women politicians 20th-century American educators Activists from Maryland 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American politicians 20th-century American legislators 20th-century Maryland politicians