Nannie Helen Burroughs was a passionate educator, who shared her knowledge to empower Black women and girls in her community as well as perpetuate momentum for their right to vote. Burroughs was born in Orange, Virginia in 1879 to formerly enslaved parents[1]. When her father died, her mother took her to Washington D.C. in 1883, in hopes of a better education for her daughter[1],[3]. In D.C., she attended M Street High school, where she excelled in academics[1],[3]. Her goal after school was to become a teacher but was turned away for being too dark[1]. Due to this discriminatory rejection, she sought out other positions. She worked for the Black Baptist Convention, wherein 1900, she gave her speech, “How the sisters are Hindered from Helping,” which described how female discrimination was hindering the church, as the women offered many opinions that were offered in the development of the organization [1]. This speech received great feedback, gaining attention from the women of the church. Because of this, she began the Woman’s Convention of the National Baptist, the beginning of her career.

The success was shown in numbers, with the Woman’s Convention of the National Baptist reaching over one million members, making it the largest body of African American women in the United States [1]. She was the head of the organization, making her imperative in the fight for civil rights for Black Women. She was able to get very influential people to speak at her conferences, including her friend Martin Luther King Jr.[2]. Her organization was highly acclaimed, the success of her organization led Burroughs to her second fight, increasing education opportunities for Black women and girls. 

In 1909, she established the National Training School for Women and Girls. This helped educate Black women and girls in a wide array of curriculum, as she wanted to break the prejudice that all Black women should work in domestic care [1]. The school originally began in an old farmhouse. She started fundraising to make a building for the school. As we have seen in our previous posts from this week, white women activists were not always supportive of Black women. Booker T. Washington expressed that the African American community will not be able to fundraise enough money to build the school [3]. Nevertheless, Burroughs did not want to rely on donations from wealthy white individuals. She was able to save enough money from donations herself within her Black community to create Trades Hall, a facility for the school that has 12 classrooms, three offices, an assembly area, and a print shop. Through the success of the school and Baptist organization, she had a powerful voice for political activism.

Using her new position of being influential to so many followers, she consistently spoke out about Women’s rights to vote, expressing that white women must work together with Black women to secure this right, “The race is doomed unless negro women take an active part”[3],[4]. Her voice, along with all other women suffragists’ voices were heard. She was alive for the ratification of the 19th amendment, a success for all her hard work. Her quotes rang loud and clear, bringing the issue of racial and gender discrimination to the forefront of the government.

 By gaining the government’s attention, she was administered the chair position in the committee of Black housing by president Herbert Hoover. This position helped Black people find housing during the Great Depression[2]. Through her government involvement, strides in education for Black women, and organization of the Woman's Convention of the National Baptist, she was a successful, inspiring, and empowering activist. 

Burroughs died in 1961, she was the leader of the Woman’s Convention of the National Baptist until she died[1]. Her legacy remained in her school when Trades Hall of National Training School was renamed the Nannie Helen Burroughs School in her honor [3]. She Grows It™ is proud to highlight an inspiring activist who made strides in the woman’s suffrage movement, as well as the expansion of educational opportunities for Black women and girls.

Authors: Dr. Ashley Milton, Alyssa Kalac, Marina Tsoumpa

References:

1. Mayo, E. (2020). African American Women Leaders in the Suffrage Movement. [online] suffragist memorial.org. Available at: https://suffragistmemorial.org/african-american-women-leaders-in-the-suffrage-movement/ 

2. SD (n.d.). Burroughs, Nannie Helen. [online] kinginstitute.stanford.edu. Available at: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/burroughs-nannie-helen 

3. NPS (2020). Nannie Helen Burroughs. [online] nps.gov. Available at: https://www.nps.gov/people/nannie-helen-burroughs.htm  

4. LOC (n.d.). Ratification and Beyond. [online] loc.gov. Available at: https://www.loc.gov/exhibitions/women-fight-for-the-vote/about-this-exhibition/hear-us-roar-victory-1918-and-beyond/ratification-and-beyond/race-is-doomed-unless-negro-women-take-an-active-part/