Discovering a Trailblazer: Top 10 Fun Facts About Mary Church Terrell You Never Knew
1. Wonder Woman of Civil Rights
Move over, Wonder Woman: Mary Church Terrell was the ultimate multitasking trailblazer and a real-life superhero for women and African Americans alike! With her appointment as the first black woman on the District of Columbia Board of Education and her co-founding role in the Niagara Movement, she channeled her powers of prolific writing and speaking to champion the rights of both groups.
Source => loc.gov
2. Beyoncé of Activism
Mary Church Terrell, the Beyoncé of the civil rights movement, who slayed the game of women's rights activism with her fierceness and determination: She was a trailblazing educator, becoming the superintendent of M Street High School in Washington, DC, while also being instrumental in founding the National Association of Colored Women, National Council of Negro Women, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, all the while advocating for voting rights, education, and winning a landmark lawsuit allowing African Americans to dine at restaurant counters in 1950. Bow down!
Source => archives.gov
Did you know Dorothy Height, a civil rights activist, was also a fashion icon? She designed her own inauguration gown and broke stereotypes about African American women's style. Discover more stylish facts about her!
=> Fun Facts about Dorothy-Height
3. Journalistic Alter Ego
Ever wonder if our favorite suffrage superhero had an alter ego? Well, fasten your seatbelts, because it turns out Mary Church Terrell was also moonlighting as a journalistic wonder woman: Writing under the pen name Euphemia Kirk, she championed the African American Women's Club Movement through her articles in newspapers "published either by or in the interest of colored people" and even graced the pages of the A.M.E. Church Review based in Philadelphia.
Source => en.wikipedia.org
4. Linguistic Superhero
Hold onto your polyglot poodles, it's about to get linguistically lit: Mary Church Terrell was not just a trilingual truth-teller, she wowed the crowd at the International Congress of Women in Berlin in 1904 with speeches in German, French, and English, earning herself a standing ovation and the unique honor of being the only woman of African descent invited to speak at the conference!
Source => nmaahc.si.edu
5. Lunch Counter Crusader
Did you hear about the woman who always got a seat at the lunch counter despite the sign that said "No shirt, no shoes, no service?" Well, it wasn't exactly like that, but she sure did have a knack for shaking things up: Mary Church Terrell fought for the desegregation of restaurants in Washington, D.C. during the 1950s, using "lost laws" from over 75 years prior to win a landmark case against Thompson's Restaurant, ultimately ending discrimination in public accommodations in the city.
Source => boundarystones.weta.org
6. Barrier-Breaking Degrees
Much ado about degrees: This powerhouse broke more barriers than a bull in a china shop; ; Mary Church Terrell was one of the first Black women to waltz away with a bachelor's degree from Oberlin College in 1884, chased that with a master's degree from the same esteemed establishment, and made history as the first Black woman to have a seat at the Washington, D.C. Board of Education's table.
Source => washingtonpost.com
7. Pokémon of College Degrees
Before she collected degrees like Pokémon cards: Mary Church Terrell was one of the first Black women to earn a college degree in the United States, receiving a Bachelor's in Classics from Oberlin College in 1884, and topping it off with a Master's four years later.
Source => explore.berkshiremuseum.org
8. Glass Ceiling Destroyer
Talk about breaking the glass ceiling with style and grace! Mary Church Terrell strutted into the history books like a boss, armed with brains, courage, and a good lawyer: In 1948, she won a lawsuit against discrimination and became the first Black woman to join the American Association of University Women, championing the fight for educational and civil rights for African Americans.
Source => womenshistory.org
9. Board of Education Pioneer
Before she became the founding member of the 'Board of Education Supremacy,' breaking glass ceilings like a true superhero: Mary Church Terrell was actually the first black woman to serve on a school board in the United States, specifically in Washington, D.C., back in 1895.
Source => hdl.loc.gov
10. Lemonade-Making Icon
When life gave her lemons, Mary Church Terrell made lemonade and then sipped it at a desegregated lunch counter: Her tenacious efforts eventually led to the District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co. case in 1953, which ruled segregation in Washington D.C.'s eateries unconstitutional. History savored her victory so much that her home, the Mary Church Terrell House, has been preserved as a National Historic Landmark for us all to toast her iconic civil rights contributions.
Source => nps.gov
