The life and work of Mary Terrell

COSHOCTON — A traveling display from Oberlin College honoring a pioneer in women's suffrage is on display at the Coshocton Public Library through July 30.

Mary Church Terrell was renowned internationally for her achievements as an educator, writer, lecturer, suffragist and civil rights leader. She is one of Oberlin College's most accomplished graduates, earning a bachelor's degree in 1884, a master's degree in 1888 and receiving an honorary degree in 1948. She lived from 1863 to 1954.

As a woman of mixed race born in the south during the Civil War and who lived to see the Supreme Court decision Brown vs. Board of Education, it was fitting that she attended Oberlin, the first college to admit students regardless of race or gender.

Oberlin College Libraries have brought Terrell’s story and legacy to life with the traveling exhibition "Mary Church Terrell: An Original Oberlin Activist." The exhibition of materials explores the life and work of Terrell through four lenses of achievement: learning, labor, leadership, and legacy.

It consists of 10 biographical banners and several facsimiles of documents and photographs from the Terrell's papers, housed in the Oberlin College Archives. The exhibition provides an unrivaled perspective on the life and legacy of one of the 20th century’s most renowned suffragists and Civil Rights leaders while also documenting the sobering racial inequalities faced by African Americans throughout the 20th century.

Terrell was born in Memphis, Tennessee, to Robert Reed Church and Mary Louisa Ayers Church, both had been slaves. It is not clear when her parents had attained their freedom, but both were named in the 1870 Decennial Census, ages 25 and 24 respectively, and recorded by the enumerator as mulatto. Her mother owned a successful, multicultural hair salon. Her father was the first black millionaire in the South due to his business and real estate holdings.

In 1892, Terrell learned that Thomas Moss, a close friend from Memphis, had been lynched and this inspired her to become a social activist. She helped form the Colored Women’s League in Washington to address social problems facing Black communities.

Four years later, she helped create the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) and became its first president. The NACW adopted the motto Lifting As We Climb and promoted racial uplift through education and community activism. In 1909, Terrell signed the charter that established the National Association for the Advancement for Colored People (NAACP) and in 1910 she became one of the founders of the College Alumnae Club, which was later named the National Association of University Women (NAUW).

In addition to founding and chairing numerous organizations, Terrell also used her writing and oratory skills to advance her social and political interests. As a speaker, she was described as eloquent, courageous, determined and concise in delivering her message. Her scholarly articles, poems, and short stories about race and gender appeared in numerous journals and magazines.

In 1940, she published her autobiography, "A Colored Woman in a White World," which details her own battles with gender and race discrimination in the United States. After World War II, Terrell joined the burgeoning efforts to end legal segregation in Washington D.C. She lived to see the desegregation of eating facilities in the capital city, which occurred in 1953. One year later, the Supreme Court ruled that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.

This article originally appeared on Coshocton Tribune: The life and work of Mary Terrell