Carrie A. Tuggle
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Carrie A. Tuggle (May 28, 1858 – November 5, 1924) was an American educator, philanthropist, and social activist. After
emancipation Emancipation generally means to free a person from a previous restraint or legal disability. More broadly, it is also used for efforts to procure economic and social rights, political rights or equality, often for a specifically disenfranchis ...
, she sought for equality in education, and the right to exercise voting rights in
Birmingham, Alabama Birmingham ( ) is a city in the north central region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Birmingham is the seat of Jefferson County, Alabama's most populous county. As of the 2021 census estimates, Birmingham had a population of 197,575, down 1% fr ...
. She established Tuggle Institute, a local boarding school for black children who were destitute orphans and juvenile defendants and were given free education. The Tuggle Institute functioned with support from the Order of Calanthe and the
Knights and Ladies of Honor The Knights and Ladies of Honor was a highly successful and popular American fraternal benefit organization in the late 19th and early twentieth century. It is perhaps the first major fraternal benefit organization to adopt the idea of diversity al ...
of Alabama.


Early life

Tuggle was born on May 28, 1858, at
Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now moder ...
. Her parents were a former slave and a Mohawk Indian chief. Though born into
slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
in dire conditions, she rose to become a leader among the black community of Birmingham. She married John Tuggle, a native of
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...
Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, and moved to Birmingham in the early 1900s, in search of better economic opportunities and a social life. The couple had four children.


Career

In Birmingham, Tuggle held the position of Grand Worthy Councilor from 1891 to 1899. In 1901, she was appointed to the Office of Supreme Worthy Councilor after her husband had refused to contest for the post. She created and edited a black newspaper, the '' Birmingham Truth'', between 1902 and 1910. Early in her career as a social worker, Tuggle pleaded before a court to pardon two juvenile delinquents from a prison sentence, volunteering to take them under her care and reform them. This action received appreciation from residents such as
A. G. Gaston Arthur George Gaston (Demopolis, Alabama, July 4, 1892 – Birmingham, Alabama, January 19, 1996) was an American businessman who established a number of businesses in Birmingham, Alabama, and who played a significant role in the movement to ...
, and inspired her to establish the Jefferson County Juvenile and Domestic Court. The Tuggle Institute was opened by her on 3 September 1903, created with a meager US$2.50. The institute's basic objective was to provide a home to destitute children and to educate them. At this time, she was associated with many institutions in Birmingham such as Courts of Calanthe, Knights and Ladies of Honour of the World, and Rising Sons and Daughters of Protection, which helped support the Tuggle Institute. She also sought support from the philanthropists of Birmingham's White Community, and financial backing from Louis Pizitz and his wife and A. B. Loveman. Initially, the school was a temporary structure, but she saw to it that an academic curriculum was created covering subjects such as industry, nursing and music. Tragedy struck the school in 1919 when it burned down in a suspected arson attack. Following the fire, the school was shifted to a nearby church, and teaching and care of children was continued, until the institute's building was reconstructed and gained a reputation as "one of most effective and beneficial institutions of the South". Support for constructing the building complex for expansion of the school was provided by the White supporters, particularly the small Jewish community, of Birmingham. Among the notable students of the institute were Dr.
A. G. Gaston Arthur George Gaston (Demopolis, Alabama, July 4, 1892 – Birmingham, Alabama, January 19, 1996) was an American businessman who established a number of businesses in Birmingham, Alabama, and who played a significant role in the movement to ...
, John T. Whatley, and
Erskine Hawkins Erskine Ramsay Hawkins (July 26, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" (1 ...
. Tuggle did much towards the cause of women's suffrage in Jefferson County, urging many other black women including teachers to register as voters. At this stage she suffered setbacks in her personal life when one of her daughters, Mamie Adams, a leading social activist, died.


Death and legacy

Tuggle continued her struggle to raise funds, which had an adverse effect on her health. Confined to bed for six months, she died in 1924. After her death, in 1926 the Tuggle Institute became part of the Birmingham City Public Schools. In 1934, it was bought by the City Board of Education and the Institute renamed as Enon Ridge School. In 1936, again the Board of Education altered the name to Tuggle Elementary School. There is a plaque in the school in honor of her memory with the inscription "Carrie A. Tuggle, a scholar, educator and servant of mankind." In Tuggle's honor, the Tuggle Memorial, a memorial
stele A stele ( ),Anglicized plural steles ( ); Greek plural stelai ( ), from Greek , ''stēlē''. The Greek plural is written , ''stēlai'', but this is only rarely encountered in English. or occasionally stela (plural ''stelas'' or ''stelæ''), whe ...
in Birmingham's
Kelly Ingram Park Kelly Ingram Park, formerly West Park, is a park located in Birmingham, Alabama. It is bounded by 16th and 17th Streets and 5th and 6th Avenues North in the Birmingham Civil Rights District. The park, just outside the doors of the 16th Street Ba ...
, was unveiled by two of her descendants, encouraged by Dr. A. G. Gaston, a businessperson of Birmingham who studied in the Tuggle Institute. The stele recognizes her work on behalf of orphans and juvenile defendants, and her role as a philanthropist and educator.
Angela Davis Angela Yvonne Davis (born January 26, 1944) is an American political activist, philosopher, academic, scholar, and author. She is a professor at the University of California, Santa Cruz. A feminist and a Marxist, Davis was a longtime member of ...
attended Carrie A. Tuggle Elementary School.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuggle, Carrie A. 1858 births 1924 deaths Activists from Birmingham, Alabama People from Eufaula, Alabama History of slavery in Alabama 19th-century American slaves African-American activists American social workers 19th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women American women slaves 19th-century African-American educators 19th-century American educators