Harriet Forten Purvis
American abolitionist and suffragist who co-founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society
American abolitionist and suffragist who co-founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society
On July 16, 1944, Irene Morgan refused to surrender her seat to white passengers and move to the back of a Greyhound bus while traveling from Gloucester County, Virginia, to Baltimore, Maryland. She was arrested and convicted in the Virginia courts for violating a state statute requiring racial segregation on all public vehicles. The NAACP appealed her case to the Supreme Court. On June 3, 1946, by a 6-to-1 decision, the Court ruled that the Virginia statute was unconstitutional when applied to interstate passengers on interstate motor vehicles because it put an undue burden on interstate commerce.
As the literary editor of The Crisis (1919–1926) she introduced many Harlem Renaissance writers, including Langston Hughes and Jean Toomer, to the public, in addition to being a writer herself.
The NAACP’s first national youth director
NAACP field organizer from 1921 to 1924, YMCA worker and writer
NAACP field organizer from 1921 to 1924, YMCA worker and writer
In 1958 she became president of the NAACP St. Louis Branch, and in 1962 headed the State Conference. Elected to the NAACP Board in 1963, she became the first black woman to chair it in 1975.
NAACP Board of Directors
Pioneering dancer, percussionist, teacher, ethnologist, and therapist
Leader in the South Australian suffrage movement and a worker for working women.