The Washington State Federation of Colored Women's Clubs: Social Activism in Washington State's African American Women's Club Movement, 1917 to 1951

On August 9, 1917 in Spokane, Washington, two dozen dynamic and civic-minded African American women organized the Washington State Federation of Colored Women, Washington and Jurisdiction (WSFCW). Exemplified by its motto, "Today Is Ours For United Service," the WSFCW improved the socio-economic condition of African Americans, both in Washington state and nationally, through educational programs, political lobbying efforts, arts and literary events aimed at community and self- improvement, and by providing wholesome recreational activities, and other social services. This dissertation explores the founding and major programs of the WSFCW, placing the organization into the rubric of the national black women's clubs movement from its origins in the late 19^th century to the mid-20th century. It extends scholarship on the black women's club movement by examining how the WSFCW meshed their local needs as residents of the Pacific Northwest with the national policies and programs of the National Association of Colored Women. The study period, 1917 to 1951, also expands the present historiography of the black women's club movement beyond the most examined period, 1896 to 1920.

Lowe, Turkiya L. 2010. The washington state federation of colored women's clubs: Social activism in washington state's african american women's club movement, 1917 to 1951. Ph.D. diss., University of Washington.