July 1896

Mary Church Terrell, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and Frances Harper are among the leaders who unite two national organizations into the National Association of Colored Women in Washington, D.C. With the motto 'Lifting As We Climb,' the NACW coordinates hundreds of local clubs fighting for anti-lynching legislation, suffrage, education, and community welfare under Terrell's presidency.

Mary Church Terrell became the first president of the National Association of Colored Women in 1896, the largest organization of Black women in the United States, uniting hundreds of local clubs under the motto 'Lifting As We Climb.' The organization fought for suffrage, anti-lynching legislation, and social welfare, establishing Black women as a major force in American civic life.