The Colored Women's League (CWL) of

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, was a

woman's club Woman's Club or Women's Club may refer to: *List of women's clubs Woman's club movement in the United States *Woman's club movement in the United States ** **General Federation of Women's Clubs The General Federation of Women's Clubs (GFWC), f ...

, organized by a group of

African-American women African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...

in June 1892, with Helen Appo Cook as president. The primary mission of this organization was the national union of colored women. In 1896, the Colored Women's League and the Federation of Afro-American Women merged to form the

National Association of Colored Women The National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) is an American organization that was formed in July 1896 at the First Annual Convention of the National Federation of Afro-American Women in Washington, D.C., United States, by a merger of ...

, with

Mary Church Terrell Mary Terrell (born Mary Church; September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was an American civil rights activist, journalist, teacher and one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She taught in the Latin Department at the M St ...

as the first president.

History

In June 1892, a group of several prominent black women in

, met together to discuss creating a club devoted to improving the conditions of black children, women and the urban poor. Some of these women were Anna J. Cooper, Helen Appo Cook,

Ida B. Wells Ida Bell Wells-Barnett (July 16, 1862 – March 25, 1931) was an American investigative journalist, sociologist, educator, and early leader in the civil rights movement. She was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advance ...

Charlotte Forten Grimké Charlotte Louise Bridges Grimké ( Forten; August 17, 1837 – July 23, 1914) was an African-American abolitionism in the United States, anti-slavery activist, poet, and educator. She grew up in a prominent abolitionist family in Philadelphia. S ...

Mary Jane Patterson Mary Jane Patterson (September 12, 1844 – September 24, 1894) was an American educator born to a previously enslaved mother and a freeborn father. She is notable because she is claimed to be the first African-American woman to receive a B.A d ...

, Evelyn Shaw, and Jane Eleanor Datcher. Helen Appo Cook was elected the first president. The Colored Women's League was a coalition of 113 organizations, and the goal of national unity was at the forefront of the club's objectives. In a letter written in 1894 to '' The Woman's Era'', the first national newspaper published by and for African American women, Cook reported a few accomplishments of the league. These included: hosting a series of public lectures for girls at local high schools and Howard University, raising $1,935 towards a home for the league, creating classes for German, English Literature, and hygiene, and establishing a sewing school and mending bureau with 88 students and ten teachers. Mary Church Terrell also provided updates about the CWL's efforts to this newspaper. According to historian

Fannie Barrier Williams Frances Barrier Williams (February 12, 1855 – March 4, 1944) was an American educator, civil rights, and women's rights activist, and the first black woman to gain membership to the Chicago Woman's Club. She became well known for her effo ...

, this organization had the largest membership of any African American women's club in the country.

Mergers

Although the primary goal of the CWL was national unity for colored women, this goal was not reached until July 21, 1896 when the

was formed as a result of the merging of the Colored Women's League and the National Federation of Afro-American Women. The merging of the two organizations was publicly debated in the black community. Many newspapers, including the ''Leavenworth Herald,'' published opinions about the merge in their newspapers. The Colored Women's League initially declined to join the National Federation of Afro-American Women because President Cook did not have the authority to commit the league. However, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin's appeal to protect the reputation of black women influenced the political agenda of the CWL. Ruffin's appeal was composed in response to an editorial published by a Southern white journalist, in which the author ridiculed the moral character of black women. To combat the widespread influence of negative stereotypes of black women,

Margaret Murray Washington Margaret Murray Washington (née Murray; March 9, 1865 – June 4, 1925) was an American educator who was the principal of Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute, which later became Tuskegee University. She also led women's clubs, inclu ...

, the president of the National Federation of Afro-American Women and Helen A. Cook began making plans to discuss consolidating their two organizations. After the merger of the Colored Women's League and the National Federation of Afro-American Women, Mary Church Terrell was named the first president of the newly formed National Association of Colored Women.

Rivalries

Both organizations, the Colored Women's League and the Federation of Afro-American Women, had similar objectives in mind: advancing the conditions for black women, children, and underprivileged. However, prior to merging, these organizations did not always see eye-to-eye. The biggest factor contributing to this rivalry was the debate about which organization was the first to be officially recognized as a national organization. Mary Church Terrell, the first president of the NACW, explains that "although the CWL was the first to ''suggest'' there should be a national organization," the first organization of black women to actually assemble nationally was the National Federation of Afro-American Women. After the creation of the NACW, the contest for leadership of the national organization created another short rivalry. Each organization was represented by seven delegates in the election process, so ties of 7-7 made the voting process difficult. Eventually, at the age of thirty-three and pregnant, Mary Church Terrell of the Colored Women's League was named the first president of the NACW.

Criticism

Many members of the league, especially those in leadership positions, had high social standings. In fact, some even called members of the league "female aristocrats of color". Therefore, the league faced several critiques. Some argued that the ideology of racial uplift was classist. Nevertheless, the success of the CWL inspired other black women to become aware of the possibility of creating a united front for themselves and created their own clubs.

National League of Colored Women

On July 21, 1896, the Colored Women’s League merged with the National Federation of Afro-American Women to form the National League of Colored Women. The new organization was created in Washington D.C. where

was elected as its first president. It extended the Colored Women's League's objectives to a national agenda for uplifting black women, as follows: * To unite colored women nationally. * To improve conditions of black women locally and nationally. * To collect all facts obtainable to show the "moral, intellectual, industrial and social growth and attainments of our people, to foster unity of purpose, to consider and determine methods which will promote the interests of colored people n every direction. * To create a kindergarten for the black community. * To educate the youth. * To teach evening classes in literature, language, and other subjects.

References

{{Reflist African-American women's organizations Women in Washington, D.C. African-American history of Washington, D.C.