Dunn’s Civics > Black History > Resisting the Badges of Slavery

Mary Church Terrell

Mary Church Terrell 1863 – 1954, who majored in classics at Oberlin College, was the daughter of former slaves (who became business owners), and was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. 

She became an activist who led several important associations based in Washington D.C. and worked for civil rights and suffrage.  Among her many achievements in movements for African-American women’s rights, she was a founding member of the NAACP.