Title Gender, Race, and Politics in the Midwest : Black Club Women in Illinois / Wanda A. Hendricks

Published Bloomington : Indiana University Press, [1998] Baltimore, Md. : Project MUSE, 0000 [1998]

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Description 1 online resource Series Blacks in the diaspora Book collections on Project MUSE Contents The movement to organize race women -- "Loyalty to women and justice to children": the Illinois Federation of Colored Women's Clubs -- Agents of social welfare -- Race riots, the NAACP, and female suffrage: the national movement -- "I am doing it for the future benefit of my whole race": agents of political inclusion -- The Politics of race: Chicago -- "To fill a reported industrial need": the great migration, race women, and the end of an era Summary During the thirty year period from 1890 to 1920, the African American club women in Illinois helped establish the largest national network of black club women in the country, The National Association of Colored Women, created hundreds of female associations, organized the only federation of its kind in the state, The Illinois Federation of Colored Women, and cast ballots for the first black elected to the city council. Hendricks focuses on the Progressive Era, a period of numerous and unusual challenges not replicated in other regions of the country. Illinois and several of the other Midwestern states were affected by the burgeoning industrial economy and by the massive immigration of African American seeking economic opportunity. Chicago, by 1920, housed one of the largest and most urbanized black communities in the country. While few legal social and political restrictions were imposed on blacks, the state was the site of some of the worst race riots in the nation during the first two decades of the twentieth century. Club women successfully met these challenges by becoming social and political agents of reform and community uplift. Through their own volunteerism and fundraising they combated the problems of homelessness, unemployment, illiteracy, high mortality, and inadequate health care that plagued African Americans. They opened kindergartens, day nurseries, orphanages, settlement houses, elderly homes, recreation centers, and medical care facilities. They also demonstrated their political prowess by developing a gendered political culture. They formed suffrage clubs, entered public debates on major issues and voiced their opinions on the importance of holding politicians accountable for their actions. The Illinois club women also played a primary role in the election of Oscar Stanton DePriest as the first black alderman in Chicago Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 133-153) and index Notes Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002. http://purl.oclc.org/DLF/benchrepro0212 MiAaHDL Description based on print version record digitized 2010 HathiTrust Digital Library committed to preserve pda MiAaHDL Subject African Americans -- Illinois -- Politics and government African Americans -- Illinois -- Social conditions African American women -- Political activity -- Illinois -- History African American women -- Illinois -- Societies and clubs -- History Women's studies. women's studies. SOCIAL SCIENCE / LGBTQ+ Studies / General Race relations African Americans -- Social conditions African Americans -- Politics and government African American women -- Societies and clubs African American women -- Political activity Schwarze Frau Verein Black feminism. Women. African Americans -- Illinois -- Politics and government -- 20th century. African Americans -- Illinois -- Social conditions -- 20th century. African American women -- Political activity -- Illinois -- History. African American women -- Illinois -- Societies, etc. -- History. Illinois -- Race relations Illinois Illinois Illinois -- Race relations -- 20th century. Genre/Form History Form Electronic book Author Project Muse. distributor. LC no. 98003091 ISBN 9780253069030 0253069033

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