Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-07-25
Mrs. Mary I Terrell, 90, Dies
Anti Segregation Crusader
One of county's
Most Distinguished
CoIored Women

Mrs. mary Cnurch Terrell, 80,
longtime fighter against racial
segregation in the District, died
yesterday in Anne Arundel Cen
erai Hospital in Annapolis. Md.
One of the best-known colored
women in the country, Mrs. Ter
rel won renown as a lecturer.
author. educator and organizer.
She was the widow Of Robert
Terrell. first colored Municipal
Court judge in the District.
She was most in the public
eye recently while. fighting racial
segregation in restaurants. In
1850, she filed the complaint
against the Thompson Restau-
rant which led to the Supreme
Court decision abolishing such
segregation in the District.
She was one of the first two
women, and the first colored
woman, to be appointed to the
District School Board. She
served from 1895 to 1906.
Described as a Great Woman"
Several hundred persons, in
GLIDING civic leaders, educators
and club women, turned out for
a birthday luncheon for Mrs.
Terrell in the Washington Hotel
in October 1852.
Among those who praised Mrs.
Terrell as a humanitarian was
DR.. Mordecai w. johnson, presi-
dent of Howard University.
DR.. Johnson described the
strong fight led by Mrs. Terrell
against segregation in Washing
ton and elsewhere, saying:
Here was one of the great
women of the world who has
triumphed over all manner of
human handicaps and has been
q power for good all over the
world"
Mrs. Terrell, an 1884 gradu-
ate of Oberlin College. spent
three years studying In Europe
before she was appointed to the
District School Board.
In 1949, Mrs. Terrell accepted
Craftsmanship of the Co-ordi-
mating Committee for the En-
forcement of the Districts Anti
Discrimination Laws.
Fought for Suffrage.
Mrs. Terrell became interested
in club work among colored
women as early as 1896. In that
year she organized the National
Association of Colored Women
and became its first president.
In 1893 Mrs, Terrell entered
the fight for woman suffrage.
She was invited to make an inn
portant address at the annual
convention Of the National
Women Suffrage Association.
She was a close friend Of Susan
B. Anthony and remained active
in the suffrage movement until
1920.
In 1904 Mrs. Terrell repre-
sented the colored women Of
America at the International
Council Of Women In Berlin. She
delivered addresses there on the
progress and problems of colored
women in English, German and
French. Later Mrs. Terrell went
to similar. meetings in Zurich
and at London as q spokesman
for women Of her race.
During her travels. Mrs. Ter
rell met and made friends with
authors, lecturers and educators
Of world renown.
In 1909 she assisted In organ
izing the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People and became q charter
member.
Published an. Autobiography.
Mrs. Terrell's growing promi-
hence led Oberlin College to
place her in 1882 on the list Of
the colleges most famous grad
yates.
The civic leaders work In
. social service won her q citation
from the Women's Continental
Congress In New York in 1910.
In the following year, Mrs.
Terrell published her autobi-
ography, "a Colored Woman in
q White World" with Q preface
by II. G.. Wells. The title was