History of Central Association of Colored Women.

Des Moines, Iowa: 1940. 8vo (9.5” x 6.25”), black wrappers, title in gold on front wrapper. 32 pp., illus.

A history and overview of the Central Association of Colored Women, chronicling its foreground and first six years.

The author served as President of the Central Association, one of the five sectional bodies constituting the National Association of Colored Women (est. 1896)—an organization in its fifth decade of operation at the time. The text provides a brief history of the Central’s origins as well as information regarding the twelve U.S. state organizations it comprises. Brown stresses that the present section “has added much to the progress of our National body” and to “each of the three major projects maintained by our National body,” namely: the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association, the Hallie Quinn Brown Scholarship Fund, and the National Headquarters. The C.A.C.W., Brown notes, has made “unusual contributions” to these three projects. Ten of the twelve states operate scholarship funds of their own and nine states maintain institutions such as Day Nurseries, Social Centers, Big Sister Homes, Juvenile Homes, Old Folks’ Homes, and so forth. Covered in depth are the proceedings at the C.A.C.W.’s First through Sixth Biennial Sessions. Brown dedicates the publication to the memory of our “pioneer women.”

The illustrations capture C.A.C.W. Presidents and members; National Presidents elected from the Central Section; C.A.C.W. Delegations to various councils, such as the Organization of the Old Northwestern Association in Chicago and the International Council of Women in Paris; various buildings housing organizations run by members of the C.A.C.W.; the Frederick Douglass Home in D.C., and so on. The current board of the C.A.C.W. is also outlined. The volume concludes with four uplifting lyrics, “Call to Women,” “The Bridge Builder,” “Central Rallying Song” (by Arsania Williams) and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” today the official song of the NAACP), composed by African-American author, songwriter and civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938).

WorldCat records just four copies.

CONDITION: Covers rubbed with loss to surface of paper at edges, corners chipped and bumped, light crease to upper right corner of first first few leaves, contents clean.