El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1913-04-30
Wage WarAgainstPre Prejudice
Negro Women Engage in Campaign
to Raise Their Race in Public
Esteem Through Education.
By Frederic J. HastiR-
AsHINGTON, d. G, April


America would be incomplete
without note being taken of the heroic
struggle of the negro women born in
this country who, from the time of
their liberation from slavery, have
been exerting every effort to overcome
in their race the effects of a bondage
extending over unnumbered centuries.
The Afro-American woman demon
strates more than do most others the
tender. maternal instinct OF the
Urimeyal woman who would labor and
suffer and bear strong sons whose
vigOr might add to the greatness or
the world. Every southern born man
or woman whose childish sleep was
watched over by the grooming tender
ness of the old negro nanny Will al
firm the faithful cOnstancy Of the
women of this darker race
The development of this great ma
ton necessitated the freedom Of the
Onetime slave. UneQuipped with the
training and education needed Tor the
new duties and responsibilities tree-
dom brought to them, the negro WO-
men from the beginning keenly felt
the responsibility OF preparing ner
family for the new life dawning upon
them. No greater task ever came 10
the women of any nation ana the
LOYALTY with which they are fulfllllnS
l. must appeal to anyone who Will con-
slider for a moment some OF their
achievements in the face OF great
obstacles The negro woman recOS-
niZes the value of education Iar nOTe
tbaD the negro man, as is evidenced
bv the much larger NUMBER OF neg U
women than men now IOund IN the
higher schools It. was only the eX-
ceptiOnal negro woman, a SeneIdlloll
or two 20. who by the aid or some
kindly disposed friends, and usually
bv untold sacrifice and eNerLOn upon
her own part, was aDle 20 - - g
education which demonstrated her mt
ness for something more Jnan the
mental drudgery which had Deeh con
s;dered the lot Of the women OF heE
race Having achieved an advantage
for herself. she did not selfishly enlo5
il but in almost every instance, Ce-
voted her added advantage to neIp
others of her race
Realizes Value Of Organization.
Like the white woman, the progress
sive negro woman realized the EaIus
or organization. When the great
Federation Of WOmens clubs was or
l-sGized several of the clubs composed
OF educated negro women were creuu-
lCus enough to believe that the IiolLo;
Unity in Diversity was oLO11
enough to include the enlightened " u
mon If their race who were working
toward the general uplift OF humdnltl
The refusal of the general le9eT sltLCl Il
to admit Mrs htuftn as a uelesetSo
from the New Era club. of Boston, an
svered this assumption SJunS oZ
this rebuff the negro women reall1eu
that for the present they must receive
= from
tireIv of their own race
The National Association OF negro
Women in the United states now ms
a greater place in the Development o.
the negro women Of the country tnan
does the general federation for the
white women Its bonds are cloSeL
and more sympathetic because OF lhe
discoura genents its members so ire
1-feT+Iv receive This organization
which has grown from a cOmpar els
small body organized in NasnlnsI o21
in 1896. now represents over 1ov'Oyt
ueerro women in its membership II
bas state declarations in most or Ile
states and is strongest IN the soulL-
The association recognizes the idCI
that whether cultured OF Ho1i -
negro woman receives practlcaIII m
sgme treatment from the Whlte puOLS-
The women who have culture lneIe-
fore. really help themselves IN heiPlHS
those who have not. and the spirit OF
the association is one OF genera Hei ~
fulness. which is expressed IN us
motto. Lifting as We Climb
Has Twenty Departments.
III, s'Seociatfon includes 20 different
deDartments of work each or Wnlch
is under the direction OF "O!llaH
who is a specialist in that SUBJECT
Social science, literature, ooIneSllC
gcfaDce art woman suffrage. rescue
work juvenile court, forestry chlI-
dren and health are the Things mos
emphasized. Domestic science recelN =
eeDecial attention because the proSIes-
sive negro woman recognizes tnaI IN
the effort to secure hlgher euUCdl-oH
the negro girls Of the past SeheIa-
ton. like the white, have Cs'elSoP' go
tendency to deSpise the Work OF nome
making The pendulum Is sWlnSlh6
backward now and the educated nesLo
Girl knows that there is no Work more
enables her to administer to the neeuS
of a home
No Desire to Marry White Men.
The educated negro woman mas no
tn q
itv of the races as has frequently oeen
charged. She has no desire 10 narEy
q white man and she is strongest IN
her condemnation of the negro man
who marries a white woman w nat
she does desire, and what, from neI
standpoint, is most unlusJly lenleu
her in most parts Of this country y
an opportunity to secure any auuel
culture or intellectual Development
which she is fitted for without dls-
elimination on account OF race
She would like to take her Place, IN IN
conferences where questions aIIectlnS
the social order of the public are as
cussed, without being segregated from
other social workers 1t IS not IN
usual for committees on soclal t GI lSl
to send invitations 10 negro Workers
10 attend conferences and then, aLteE
they have accepted the invitation. hu-
initiate them by asking them TO SIT
apart from the invited guests
Loyal In Reverence.
The negro women are loyal IN their
reverence for those of their race VINO
lave accomplished work for some
worthy cause. Their records Of those
who at sacrifice to themselves have
helped others to rise is long one
Few will be longer remembered Iha4
Harriet Tubman Davis, who died last
month in the Home for Aged Ne
eroes." which she had founded in New
York Harriet was called The Moses
of the Negroes because having run
away herself from the brutality OF
an overseer she made no less than ~
trips back to the south TO lead otheE
negroes into freedom. A price OF
100000 was finally put upon her head
but this did not deter her. and her
native cunning enabled her to lead
large parties of slaves to freedom
During the civil war she was faith
full army nurse and also performed
valuable services as a spy and scout
so that she was hOnOred by the hlgh-
est officers i'm the union army Eliza
beth Wright. Mrs. E C. Bethuna anu
Lucy Lane are other names reverenced
bv the educated neErO women for the
work they have done to help thlr own