Mary Church Terrell

Hello. My name is Mary Church Terrell. I was born a long time ago, on September 23rd, 1863, in a city called Memphis, Tennessee. My parents had once been enslaved, but they worked very hard and became successful business owners. They always told me that getting a great education was one of the most important things in the world. I loved learning so much. I was always excited to read books and discover new ideas. This love for learning took me all the way to a special school called Oberlin College. It was a wonderful place where I studied hard, and I was so proud when I graduated with my degree in the year 1884. I knew my education was a powerful tool that I could use to help others.

After I finished college in 1884, I began to look at the world around me and noticed that it was not fair for everyone. I saw that African Americans and women were not always treated with the same respect as others. This made me feel that I had to do something to help make a change. So, I decided to use my voice and my education to fight for fairness. In 1896, I worked with other amazing Black women to start a special group. We called it the National Association of Colored Women. We had a motto that I loved: "Lifting as we climb." To us, this meant that as we found success and moved forward in life, we would reach back and help others come along with us. We believed that we were all stronger when we worked together.

One of the first big fights I joined was to make sure all women had the right to vote in elections. It was a long journey, but I knew it was important for everyone's voice to be heard. I kept working for fairness my entire life. Even when I was much older, I did not stop. In 1950, when I was 86 years old, I saw another problem that needed fixing. In Washington, D.C., where I lived, some restaurants would not serve food to Black people. I knew this was wrong, so I led protests to change the rules. We worked for a long time, and our fight even went to the highest court in the country. In 1953, we won. The court decided that it was against the law to keep people out of restaurants just because of the color of their skin.

I lived a very long and full life, and I got to see many changes in the world. I lived to be 90 years old. I hope that when people hear my story, they remember me as someone who always used her voice to speak up for what was right. I wanted to help make the world a fairer and more equal place for everybody, and I hope I inspired others to do the same.