Speeches & Writings File Remarks at Founders' Day Celebration of the National Council of Negro Women, Dec. 5, 1948 Remarks at Founder's Day Celebration of the National Council of Negro Women. Dec 5,1948 Asbury Methodist Church Mrs. Ella Stewart, president of the National Association of Colored Women has honored me by requesting me to represent the organization of which I was the first president , on this Founder's Day Celebration of the National Council of Negro Women. I assure you nothing could afford me more genuine pleasure than to comply with Mrs. Stewart's request. As many of you know, the National Association of Colored Women was the first large, national organization established by colored women nearly fifty three years ago. It was formed right here in Washington, July 21, 1896, in the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church of which Rev. Walter Brooks was pastor for years. It is eminently fitting, therefore, that the Mother Organization among colored women should extend hearty greeting to one of its younger sisters, perhaps I should say young daughters on [its] the celebration of its Founder's Day. It is not only fitting, but there is a very good reason why the National Association of Colored Women should be represented on this auspicious occasion. For it was at a meeting of our Association that the president of the National Council of Negro Women Women appeared for the first time before a large, national, secular organization of her own race. I believe it is my duty right here and now to relate what today I consider no only an interesting,but an important, historical incident which occured on that occasion. At a morning session of [our] the meeting of the National Association of Colored Women one of our members cam to tell me that a woman whom nobody seemed to know wanted to speak to the Association, but that some of our officers were unwilling to let her do so. What is her name?" I asked. "Nobody seems to know," my informant replied. "What does she want to talk about?" I inquired. I must admit I dearly love to ask questions. One of my middle names should be Mary Church Question Terrell. I am a regular interrogation point. "She says she has a school for colored children somewhere in the South and she wants to tell our Association about it, so as to interest us in her work," was the reply. "Since when?" I asked, "has the National Association of Colored Women decided not to let one of our women tell us about a shool for colored women in the South? Let us humbly and prayerfully request our president to tell this woman she my speak five minutes. After; she has talked two or three minutes and hasn't said anything, the president can rap her down." 2 The unknown woman talked five minutes, and I was sorry when she stopped. When the meet- adjourned I rushed over and congratulated her on the facts she presented, themanner in which she presented them and the good King's English which she had used. And I said, from the remarks you have made here this morning I am sure you have just the qualifications and characteristics which our Association needs. I hope I'll live long enough to see you president of the National Association of Colored Women." Some of you know that my wish that Mrs. Bethune should become president of the National Association od Colored Women was fulfilled. And now on this Founder's Day celebration of the National Council of Negro women the National Association of Colored Women wants to tell the world in a loud tone of voice that the reason the president of the National Council has been such a magnificent success is because she was educated and trained for the duties and responsibilities of her office while she was president of our National Asscoiation. It is especially appropriate that the organization [of] over which the president of the National Council of Negro Women once presided should bring her greetings today. It is a great pleasure for me to testify that during Mrs. Bethune's term of office as president of our Association she rendered excellent service. And it is largely due to her initiative energy and perseverance that our Association has its Headquarters at 12th and O Streets, Northwest. Incidentally every penny which our Headquarters cost was paid for by the nickels and dimes and dollars given by colored women themselves. After Mrs. Bethune's term of office expired as president of our Association she began to tell me she wanted to form a Council of Colored Women. I tried to discourage her by telling her this would seem to indicate that our women favored segregation, since the National Council of Women of the dominant race had already admitted to membership the National Association of Colored Women, when I went to Minneapolis to make the request. But Mrs. Bethune converted me to her point of view by saying that some organizations of colored women would not join a national council of women of the dominant race but would join one composed of women of their own group. For that reason she said a National Council of Colored Women could and would be instrumental in uniting all the club women of our group much better and quicker than a council of women of the dominant race could do. The I promised to help her form a national council of colored women. The following Headline appeared in the New York Star,Monday,October 25 1948 Jim Crow Advocate Gets Fair Employment Post. Helped to Bar Negro from Alumnae Group. For two years Judge Annabel Matthews has opposed admitting Mrs. Mary Church Terrell to membership in the Washington Branch of the American Association of University Women because she is a colored woman. Mrs. Terrell is eligible,there is no doubt about that. 3 And so one day I received a telegram from Mrs. Bethune requesting me to keep my promise to help her form [an organization] a national council of colored women by coming to New York right away. I [did so] complied with her request and did everything in my power to help organize a National Council of Colored Women. It was not what I would call an easy task to do, for there were women in that meeting who were strongly opposed to such a propsition. They presented various reasons which they considered valid and strong enough to defeat it. They said the women from the respective organizations attending the meeting had not been sent us delegates [to] empowered to represent them to form a national council, and therefore they had no right to do so. I admitted this was true, but I urged that circumstances alter cases and that those attending the meeting could vote to recommend the establishing of a national council and take this report to their respective organizations. I relate these [xxxxxxx] circumstances in detail, not only in the interest of an historical fact, but because I believe Mrs. Bethune and her friends deserve much more credit for estabilishing a national council in spite of the efforts made by the opponents than she and her friends would deserve if it was represented that everybody at the New York meeting [of ours] [xx] was strongly in favor of [the] establishing a National Council and helped to make it a brilliant success. Finally, I want to say that not only do I bring greetings as a representative of the National Association of Colored Women, but I want to bring my personal greeting - the greetings of Mary Church Terrell to Mary McCloud Bethune. One is impressed with the prodigious amount of work Mrs. Bethune has done, the quality of her service and the success she has achieved. I assure you it is a privilege and a leasure to greet this woman who has risen from lowly depths to lofty heights - who is an educator, a founder of a school, founder of a college, a progressive citizen interested and active in civic affairs and a veritable tower of strength in the club work of our women. The colored women of the United States have reason to be both happy and proud that they have such a magnificent representative as Mary McCloud Bethune. Remarks at Founder's Day Celebration of the National Council of Negro Women, Dec. 5, 1948 Asbury Methodist Church. Mrs. Ella Stewart, president of the National Association of Colored Women has has honored me by requesting me to represent the organization of which I was the first president, on this Founder's Day Celebration of the National Council of Negro Women. I assure you nothing could afford me more genuine pleasure than to comply with Mrs. Stewart's request. As many of you know the National Association of Colored Women was the first large, national organization established by colored women nearly fifty three years ago. It was formed right here in Wahington, July 21, 1896, in the Nineteenth Street Baptist Church of which Rev. Walter Brooks was pastor for years. It is eminently fitting, therefore, that the Mother Organization among colored women should extend hearty greeting to one of its young sisters, perhaps I should say young daughters on the celebration of its Founder's Day. It is not only fitting, but there is a very good reason why the National Association of Colored Women should be represented on this auspicious occasion. For it was at a meeting of our Association that the president of the National Council of Negro Women appeared for the first time Before a large, national, secular organization of the women of her own race. I believe it is my duty right here and now to relate what today I consider not only an interesting, but important, historical incident which occurred on that occasion. At a morning session of the meeting of the National Association of Colored Women one of our members came to tell me that a woman whom nobody seemed to know wanted to speak to the Association, but that some of our officers were unwilling to let her do so. What is her name?" I asked. "Nobody seems to know," my informant replied. "What does she want to talk about?" I inquired. I must admit I dearly love to ask questions. One of my middle names should be Mary Church Question Terrell. I am a regular human interrogation point. "She says she has a school for colored children somewhere in the South and she wants to tell our Association about it, so as to interest us in her work," was the reply. "Since when?" I asked, "has the National Association of Colored Women decided not to let one of our women tell us about a shool for colored children in the South?" Let us humbly and prayerfully request our president to tell this woman she my speak five minutes. After she has talked two or three minutes and hasn't said anything, the president can rap her down." 2 The unknown woman talked five minutes, and I was sorry when she stopped. When the meet adjourned I rushed over and congratulated her on the facts she presented, the emanner in which she presented them and the good King's English which she had used, and I said, from the remarks you have made here this morning I am sure you have just the qualifications and characteristics which our Association needs. I hope I'll live long enough to see you president of the National Association of Colored Women. Some of you know that my wish that Mrs. Bethune should become president of the National Association of Colored Women was fulfilled. And now on this Founder's Day celebration of the National Council of Negro women the National Association of Colored Women wants to tell the world in a loud tone of voice that the reason the president of the National Council has been such a magnificent success is because she was educated and trained for the duties and responsibilities of her offices while she was president of our National Association. It is especially appropriate that the organization [of] over which the president of the National Council of Negro Women once presided should bring her greetings today. It is a great pleasure for me to testify that during Mrs. Bethune's term of office as president of our Association she rendered excellent service. And it is largely due to her initiative, energy and perseverance that our Association has its Headquarters at 12th and O Streets, Northwest. Incidentally every penny which our Headquarters cost was paid [for] by the nickels and dimes and dollars given by colored women themselves. After Mrs. Bethune's term of office expired as president of our Association she began to tell me she wanted to form a Council of Colored Women. I tried to discourage her by telling her this would seem to indicate that our women favored segregation, since the National Council of Women of the dominant race had already admitted to membership the National Associated of Colored Women, when I went to Minneapolis to make the request. But Mrs. Bethune converted me to her point of view by saying that some organizations of colored women would not join a national council of women of the dominant race, but would join one composed of women of their own group. For that reason, she said, a National Council of Colored Women could and would be instrumental in uniting all the club women of our group much better and quicker than a council of women of the dominant race could do. Then I promised to help her form a national council of colored women 3 And so one day I received a telegram from Mrs. Bethune requesting me to keep my promise to help her form [an organization] a national council of colored women by coming to New York right away, I [did so] complied with her request and did everything in my power to help organize a National Council of Colored Women. It was not what I would call an easy task to do, for there were women in that meeting who were strongly opposed to such a propsition. They presented various reasons which they considered valid and strong enough to defeat it. They said the women from the respective organizations attending the meeting had not been sent as delegates [to] empowered to represent them to form a national council, and therefore they had no right to do so. I admitted this was true, but I urged that circumstances alter cases and that those attending the meeting could vote to recommend the establishing of a national council and take this report to their respective organizations. I relate these [circuxm] circumstances in detail, not only in the interest of a historical fact, but because I believe Mrs. Bethune and her friends deserve much more credit for estabilishing a national council in spite of the efforts made by the opponents than she and her friends would deserve if it was represented that everybody at the New York meeting [of ours] [xx] was strongly in favor of establishing a National Council and helped to make it a brilliant success. Finally, I want to say that not only do I bring greetings as a representative of the National Association of Colored Women, but I want to bring my personal greeting— the greetings of Mary Church Terrell to Mary McCloud Bethun. One is impressed with the prodigious amount of work Mrs. Bethune has done, the quality of her service and the success she has achieved. I assure you it is a privilege and a pleasure to greet this woman who has risen from lowly depths to lofty heights— who is an educator, a founder of a school, found of a college, a progressive citizen interested and active in civic affairs and a veritable tower of strength in the club work of our women. The colored women of the United States have reason to be both happy and proud that they have such a magnificent representative as Mary McCloud Bethune. Transcribed and reviewed by contributors participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.