First female head of NAACP (1904?2006)
Enolia Pettigen McMillan
(October 20, 1904 – October 24, 2006) was an American
educator
,
civil rights activist
, and
community leader
. She was the first female national president of the
NAACP
.
Early life
[
edit
]
Born
Enolia Virginia Pettigen
in
Willow Grove, Pennsylvania
, she was the daughter of Elizabeth Fortune Pettigen and John Pettigen, the latter a former
slave
. When she was eight years old, the family moved to
Maryland
in search of improved educational opportunities.
[1]
Enolia Pettigen attended
Frederick Douglass High School
in
Baltimore
,
Maryland
and later
Howard University
in
Washington, D.C.
, with the help of a scholarship from
Alpha Kappa Alpha
. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in education in 1926.
[1]
McMillan earned a
master's degree
in 1933 from
Columbia University
. During her masters education, she began to question the Maryland public education system and used the topic for her master's
thesis
entitled
Some Factors Affecting Secondary Education for Negroes in Maryland Counties (Excluding Baltimore)
. The thesis attacked Maryland's racist
segregated school system
in the 1930s. She found that the system provided unequal school terms, salary scales and curricula.
Career
[
edit
]
McMillan became a teacher in 1927 in
Caroline County, Maryland
teaching at
Denton High School
. In 1928, she became a principal in Charles County.
[1]
She became president of the Maryland State Colored Teachers' Association and regional vice-president of the National Association of Colored Teachers. After the 1954
Brown v. Board of Education
ruling outlawing segregated public schools, she was one of the first black teachers at a white school.
[2]
She retired from teaching in 1968. In 1969, she defeated
Juanita Mitchell
to become president of the Baltimore branch of the
NAACP
. During her presidency, the National Office was threatened with bankruptcy in 1976 due to legal proceedings against it in connection with a 1966
boycott
of white merchants in
Port Gibson, Mississippi
. She launched a fundraising drive to help defray expenses, and her efforts resulted in the Baltimore branch raising the largest local contribution of $150,000.
[1]
In 1984, she became the first woman to be elected national president of the NAACP, and she held the position until 1990. The role at the time was largely ceremonial, but McMillan had considerable influence on the organization's policies and operations. Along with former NAACP Executive Director
Benjamin Hooks
, she is credited with organizing the organization's move from New York to Baltimore in 1986.
[1]
McMilllan was an outspoken critic of the
Reagan Administration
, which she felt harmed the NAACP's advocacy efforts in housing, education, employment and business.
[3]
During her tenure, she also helped black businesses to receive federal contracts, and, in 1985, led a protest in Washington against
South Africa's apartheid system
.
[2]
In 1975, she was named the first female chair of the board of regents at
Morgan State University
.
[2]
Personal life
[
edit
]
On December 26, 1935, Enolia Pettigen married Betha D. McMillan. They had a son, Betha McMillan Jr., in 1940.
[1]
She died October 24, 2006, in
Stevenson, Maryland
from
heart failure
just four days after celebrating her 102nd birthday. She is buried at King Memorial Park in Baltimore.
[4]
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
- She was inducted into the Maryland Women's Hall of Fame in 1990.
[5]
- She was awarded an Honorary Degree in Public Service from The University of Maryland, Baltimore County in 1991.
[6]
- In 2000, the street near the NAACP's Baltimore branch was renamed Enolia P. McMillan Way.
[1]
References
[
edit
]
Sources
[
edit
]
- Frances N. Beckles. "Enolia Pettigen McMillan" in
20 Black Women: A Profile of Contemporary Black Maryland Women
. Baltimore, MD: Gateway Press, 1978.
OCLC
3869066
pp. 92?99
- Adam Bernstein. "
Enolia McMillan; First Woman to Lead NAACP
".
The Washington Post
, October 26, 2006 p. B7
- "Enolia Pettigen McMillan" in
Notable Black American Women
, Gale Research, 1992.
ISBN
978-0-7876-6494-7
- Nicole Fuller and Kelly Brewington. "'Matriarch of NAACP' dies at 102".
The Baltimore Sun
, October 25, 2006 p. 1A, 9A
- Carolyn B. Stegman. "Enolia Pettigen McMillan" in
Women of Achievement in Maryland History
. Forestville, MD, 2002. p. 37-38.
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