Born: 26 August 1903, United States
Died: 25 December 1996
Country most active: United States
Also known as: Sue Elvie Bailey
The following is republished with permission from the Boston Women’s Heritage Trail.
Sue Bailey Thurman (1903-1996) founded the Museum of African American History in 1963, acquiring the neighboring African Meeting House in 1972 and creating the beginnings of the Black Heritage Trail. As a writer and historian, Thurman travelled internationally to speak about racism and African American music. She also worked on the 1963 March on Washington which was held on the 100th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. She founded Aframerican Women’s Journal, a periodical published by the National Council of Negro Women.