Mary Ellen Henderson

**Mary Ellen Henderson** ( née Meriwether; Satumba 18, 1885 - Fabrairu 4, 1976) ta kasance malamar Afirka-Amurka kuma mai fafutukar kare haƙƙin jama'a a tsakiyar shekarun 1900. Ta shahara sosai saboda aikinta na raba wuraren zama a Cocin Falls, tana aiki don gina ingantattun wurare ga ɗaliban baƙar fata a Cocin Falls, Virginia da kuma fara CCPL ( Coloured Citizens Protective League ),  reshen karkara na farko na NAACP . 

## Rayuwar farko da iyali
An haifi Mary Ellen Meriwether a Washington, DC, a ranar 18 ga Satumba, 1885, ga Mary Louise Robinson Meriwether da James Henry Meriwether. Iyayenta biyu sun yi karatun kwaleji. Mahaifiyarta, Mary Louise, ta kammala karatunta daga Kwalejin Oberlin da ke Ohio, ta ci gaba da koyarwa a makarantar sakandare ta farko ga ɗaliban baƙar fata, waɗanda daga baya aka sani da Makarantar Sakandare ta Paul Laurence Dunbar, a Washington, DC, kuma ta yi aiki a matsayin mai fafutukar kare haƙƙin jama'a.  Mahaifin Mary Ellen, James, ya kammala karatunsa daga Jami'ar Howard .  Daga baya ya yi aikin lauya a Washington DC kuma ya yi aiki a kwamitin amintattu a Howard har zuwa mutuwarsa a 1906.  'Yar uwarta, Sarah Meriwether Nutter, ita ma malamar makaranta ce, mai fafutuka kuma wacce ta kafa ƙungiyar Alpha Kappa Alpha .

## Aiki da fafutuka
Mary Ellen, wacce ɗalibanta ke yi wa laƙabi da "Miss Nellie", ta fara koyarwa a aji huɗu zuwa bakwai a Makarantar Firamare ta James E. Lee,  wani gida mai ɗakuna biyu na yara baƙar fata. Ta karɓi aikin ne don hana rufe makarantar saboda rashin malamai masu horo sosai.  Makarantar ba ta da ruwan sha ko ma'aikatan kula da yara, don haka Henderson ya kawo ruwa daga rijiyar maƙwabci kuma ya tsaftace ajin kowace rana. Ginin kuma ba shi da tsarin dumama tsakiya ko wuraren tsafta na cikin gida, albarkatun da makarantar farar fata ke da su. Henderson ya yi fafutukar neman ingantacciyar makaranta ga yaran baƙar fata 'yan Amurka, yana gudanar da bincike kan rashin daidaito tsakanin makarantun baƙar fata da fari a gundumar Fairfax, *Our Disgrace and Kume: Kayan Makaranta ga Yara 'Yan Negro a gundumar Fairfax.*   Henderson ya yi la'akari, kuma a cikin 1948, Fairfax ta buɗe sabuwar Makarantar Firamare ta James E. Lee,   wata makaranta mai ɗakuna shida, tare da ƙarin ɗakin taro, ɗakin karatu, asibiti, da gidan cin abinci. An naɗa Henderson a matsayin shugabar sabuwar makarantar, matsayin da ta riƙe tsawon shekaru talatin. An san ɗaliban da Mary Ellen Henderson ta koyar da su saboda manyan nasarorin da suka samu, kuma sun sami yabo daga malaman makarantar sakandare. Daliban da ta koyar za su zama muhimman membobin al'umma, ko ma malamai da kansu. 

Henderson da mijinta, EB Henderson, sun kafa Ƙungiyar Kare Jama'a Masu Launi (CCPL), tare da Joseph Tinner, don nuna rashin amincewa da unguwannin da aka raba. A shekarar 1915, an zartar da doka ta hannun fararen fata masu zaɓe a Cocin Falls wanda zai tilasta wa al'ummar Afirka ta Amurka zama a yankinsu na garin; kashi 32% na al'ummar sun zauna a ƙasa da kashi 5% na ƙasar. CCPL ta shigar da ƙarar da ta hana aiwatar da dokar.  Kotun Koli ta soke dokar a shekarar 1917, kuma ta cire ta a hukumance a shekarar 1999.  A ƙarshe, a shekarar 1918, CCPL ta kafa tushen Reshen Hukumar Kare Jama'a ta Fairfax County na NAACP, reshen karkara na farko na NAACP. 

An karrama dukkan 'yan Henderson biyu a shekarar 1960 ta Majalisar Hulɗa da Dan Adam ta Gundumar Fairfax saboda yaƙin da suka yi da nuna wariyar launin fata. Majalisar Wakilai ta Amurka ta karrama su a shekarar 2006, lokacin da Wakili Jim Moran ya karrama su a cikin kundin tsarin mulki, "Ga kowane mutum da aka san shi da ƙasa, akwai shugaba na gida wanda ke yin abubuwa da yawa a ƙarƙashin inuwar takwarorinsu da aka fi sani. Biyu daga cikin waɗannan mutanen su ne Dr. Edwin da Mrs. Mary Ellen Henderson, majagaba kan kare haƙƙin jama'a daga Arewacin Virginia waɗanda suka yi aiki don adalci na zamantakewa tsawon kusan shekaru 50."

### ''Kunya da Kunyarmu: Kayan Aikin Makaranta ga Yara 'Yan Negro a Gundumar Fairfax''
A shekarar 1945, Mary Ellen Henderson ta rubuta wani bincike mai taken, *Our Disgrace and Shame: School Facilities for Negro Children in Fairfax County,*   kan rashin daidaito tsakanin makarantun baƙar fata da fari a Fairfax County don haɓaka rabon ƙarin albarkatu ga makarantarta. Yara a makarantun fararen fata suna hawa motocin bas masu zafi zuwa da dawowa makaranta, yayin da ɗaliban makarantun baƙar fata ke hawa motocin bas marasa zafi, idan suna zaune kusa da inda za su iya ɗaukar bas kwata-kwata (wasu yara suna tafiya na kimanin mil biyar kowace rana). Kasafin kuɗin kowace makaranta a yankin Fairfax a shekarar 1935 shine $340,050. An kashe kashi 97.4% na wannan kuɗin ($330,750) a makarantun fararen fata, yayin da aka kashe kashi 2.6% ($9,000) kawai a makarantun baƙar fata. Akwai irin wannan rashin daidaiton kuɗi a shekarar makaranta ta 1945-46; Kasafin kuɗin jari ga makarantun fararen fata ya kai dala $745,000 kimanin dala miliyan 13 a yau) yayin da kasafin kuɗin makarantun baƙar fata ya kasance kaɗan daga wannan, dala $45,000. Yawancin makarantu masu zaman kansu ba su sami kuɗi don ƙarin makarantu kamar gidajen cin abinci ba. A gefe guda kuma, an ba da kuɗin makarantu biyar na fararen fata daga dala $10,000 zuwa $50,000 don ƙara makarantu. Henderson ya sami damar amfani da bambance-bambancen da aka bayyana a cikin rahoton don shawo kan Hukumar Makarantar Gundumar Fairfax don gina sabon gidan makaranta mai ɗakuna 6 da kuma raba kuɗi daidai gwargwado a nan gaba. 

## Rayuwa ta sirri
Mary Ellen Henderson ta halarci Makarantar Al'ada (wanda yanzu aka sani da Kwalejin Malaman DC ), inda ta haɗu da abokin aikinta na rayuwa, Dr. Edwin Bancroft "EB" Henderson. Daga baya ya zama baƙar fata na farko da ya zama darektan ilimin motsa jiki a tsarin makarantun birni [4] kuma shugaban reshen Virginia na NAACP .

Dukansu sun kammala karatunsu a matakin farko, Mary Ellen a shekarar 1905 da Edwin a shekarar 1904.  Su biyun sun yi aure a ranar Kirsimeti, 1910. Nikki, surukar Henderson, ta ba da labarin: "Shekarar 1910 babbar shekara ce ga Hendersons. Sun yi aure a ranar Kirsimeti a Cocin Presbyterian na 15th Street, inda EB ya yi wa amaryarsa alƙawarin cewa ba zai buga ƙwallon kwando ba bayan sun yi aure. Amarya da ango sun nufi birnin New York don su yi hutun ƙarshen amarcinsu, inda ango ya buga wasan ƙwallon kwando na ƙarshe, inda ya lashe Gasar Kwallon Kwando ta Duniya ta 1910 a daren aurensu!" 

Mary Ellen da EB sun ƙaura zuwa Cocin Falls a shekarar 1911 a cikin abin da daga baya aka sanya wa suna " yanki mai fararen fata ." Suna da 'ya'ya biyu tare yayin da suke zaune a Cocin Falls, Edwin Meriwether Henderson a shekarar 1912 da James Henry Meriwether Henderson a shekarar 1917. 

A matsayinta na memba na NAACP, Girl Scouts, League of Women Voters, Falls Church Women's Democratic Club, Virginia Education Association, da National Education Association, Henderson ta kasance memba mai himma a cikin al'ummarta. Ta kuma kasance memba na tsawon rai a Cocin Presbyterian na 15th Street, kodayake ta kuma koyar da makarantar Lahadi kuma ta buga organ a Cocin Baptist na Second Baptist da ke Falls Church City .

A shekarar 1965, iyalan Henderson sun ƙaura zuwa Tuskegee, Alabama don su kasance kusa da ɗansu James, wanda shine darektan Gidauniyar Bincike ta Carver ta Jami'ar Tuskegee .  Ko da bayan sun ƙaura, iyalan Henderson sun ziyarci gidansu na lokacin bazara a Highland Beach kusa da Annapolis, Maryland, inda Mary Ellen ta kasance mamba mai himma a harkokin jama'a na gida. 

## Mutuwa da gado
A ƙarshen rayuwarta, Mary Ellen Henderson ta koma Cibiyar Kula da Marasa Lafiya ta Wisconsin Avenue, inda ta mutu a ranar 4 ga Fabrairu, 1976, tana da shekaru 90. An yi jana'izarta a ranar 7 ga Fabrairu, 1976, a Gidan Jana'izar McGuire. An kona Henderson aka kuma binne shi a filin dangin Meriwether da ke Makabartar Woodlawn, a Washington, DC 

Makarantar da ke ɗauke da sunanta: Makarantar Sakandare ta Mary Ellen Henderson da ke Falls Church City, Virginia, tana tunawa da Henderson. An keɓe makarantar a ranar 18 ga Satumba, 2005, cika shekaru 120 da haihuwarta. 

## Manazarta