Day 18: Black History Month

Shamya

Day 18: “A white woman has only one handicap to overcome, that of sex. I have two both sex and race… Colored men have only one, that of race. Colored women are the only group in this country who have two heavy handicaps to overcome, that of race as well as that of sex.” To be a woman of color in America is to be too black for white women spaces and too woman for spaces of men. It is to live a life knowing there will never be a space for you and even after you create a space for yourself white women will come and take it for themselves.However, Mary Church Terrel created a space for black women. It was a space for black women only, a space to be black and women with no judgement. Born on September 23, 1863 in Memphis, Tennessee Mary Church Terrel was a civil rights activist and helped found the National Association for Colored Women in 1896 and became president. She also attended Oberlin College and was one of the first woman to get a college degree. She was fluent is French, German, and Italian. Mary Church Terrel is also an author she wrote "Lynching from a Negro's point of view" in 1904 and an autobiography called A colored woman in a white world. In 1892, Mary Church Terrel, Ida B. Wells, Anna Julie Cooper and others formed the colored women's league. She was a strong advocate for black women rights and along with NACW, she wanted to create solidarity among black women while fighting racial discrimination. Today we honor Mary Church Terrel for her work in advocating for black women rights.