Document TextAlice Paul Writes to Alice Stone Blackwell |
SummaryAlice Paul Writes to Alice Stone Blackwell |
| As far as I am aware, I am actuated by no race prejudice in this matter. … | As far as I can tell, racism is not playing a part in my decision. |
| It seems to me it would be unfortunate if we had any large number of negroes in our Suffrage Procession. The prejudice against them is so strong in this section of the country that I believe a large part if not a majority of our white marchers will refuse to participate if negroes in any number formed a part of the parade. … | I think it would be unfortunate if we had a large group of Black women in our suffrage parade. So many people are racist in this part of the country that I think many if not most of our white marchers will refuse to participate if there are Black marchers. |
| The feeling against them here is so bitter that as far as I can see we must have a white procession, or a negro procession, or no procession at all. … I think that this suffrage procession will help the suffrage cause and therefore I wish to see it go through. …The best thing is to say nothing whatever about the question, to keep it out of the newspapers, to try to make this a purely Suffrage demonstration entirely uncomplicated by any other problems such as racial ones. | The racism here is so strong that I think we can have a white parade, a Black parade, or no parade at all. I think that this parade will help our cause, so I am eager to see it happen. The best thing we can do is be silent on the issue, keep it out of the newspapers, and keep the focus on suffrage without distractions like race. |
“Alice Paul (1885-1977) to Alice Stone Blackwell (1857-1950),” January 15, 1913. NWP Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (056.00.00).
Document TextNellie M. Quander Writes to Alice Paul |
SummaryNellie M. Quander Writes to Alice Paul |
| Fearing that a letter which I sent you has gone astray, I am sending you the same matter. There are a number of college women of Howard University who would like to participate in the women’s suffrage procession on Monday, March the third. We do not wish to enter if we must meet with discrimination on account of race affiliation. Can you assign us to a desirable place in the college women’s section? | I’m afraid the letter I sent you was lost, so I am writing again. There is a group of Black students from Howard University who would like to participate in the suffrage parade on Monday, March 3. We do not want to join if you are going to discriminate against us because of our race. Can you please assign us a place to march in the college women’s section? |
“Nellie M. Quander (1880–1961) to Alice Paul (1885–1977),” February 17, 1913. NWP Records, Manuscript Division, Library of Congress (060.00.00).
Howard University Delta Sigma Theta founders, 1913.
Courtesy of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Moorland-Spingarn Research Center, Howard University.
Image of Virginia Brooks, “Mrs.” Belle Squire, Mrs. Ida Wells-Barnett
In “Illinois Women Participants in Suffrage Parade: This State Was Well Represented in Washington,” Chicago Tribune, March 5, 1913.
Background
Suffragists staged many suffrage parades in the early 1900s. These parades raised public awareness about the issue of women’s suffrage and demonstrated that large numbers of women were committed to winning the right to vote. The suffrage parade held on March 3, 1913 in Washington, D.C., was one of the largest. It was also the first to take place in the nation’s capital and the first to demand a constitutional amendment permitting women to vote.
The 1913 parade was organized by the National American Woman Suffrage Association leader Alice Paul. She had only two months to plan the massive event, and she carefully crafted every detail for maximum impact. She chose March 3, 1913 because it was the day before the presidential inauguration of Woodrow Wilson. She selected Pennsylvania Avenue for the route, linking the demand for suffrage to the federal government. She asked participants to wear signature colors to convey solidarity. She decreed that participants would march with their state delegations or in groups according to their profession, school, or other association.
Women of color were eager to take part, and Alice assigned Indigenous and Chinese women official places. But she wanted to prevent Black women from marching, because she worried that their presence would cause some white women to drop out. She never made an official statement, so rumors circulated that Black women would be forced to march together at the back of the parade. Confusion about the parade rules kept some Black women from joining the procession.
In the end, more than 5,000 marchers took part in the parade, and there were many Black women among them. Black marchers did not walk as a group at the back of the parade. Instead, they joined their state, school, or professional sections, as white marchers did.
About the Resources
This collection of resources tells the story of Black women’s participation in the 1913 women’s suffrage parade. The first is a letter parade organizer Alice Paul wrote to a collaborator very early in the parade’s planning process. In it, she shares her thoughts on the question of Black marchers and lays out a plan for how to handle the issue moving forward.
The second is a letter from Nellie Quander to Alice Paul. Nellie’s letter indicates that she has already asked Alice to assign her Black sorority a spot in the parade, but Alice had not responded. Alice did not respond until just days before the march, and there is no evidence that Nellie or her sorority participated in the parade.
The third is a photograph of the founding members of Howard University sorority Delta Sigma Theta. This group was mentored by famous activist Mary Church Terrell, and marched with her in the college section of the parade.
The final resource is a photograph of activist Ida B. Wells-Barnett marching with the Illinois delegation in the parade. When the Illinois delegation arrived, parade organizers asked that the delegation be entirely white. Ida refused to be excluded, and the rest of her delegation supported her. On parade day Ida waited in the crowd until the Illinois delegation approached and then joined it.
Vocabulary
- affiliation: Membership.
- constitutional amendment: A formal change or addition to the US Constitution.
- delegation: A group of representatives.
- National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA): Founded in 1890, this organization was the largest women’s suffrage organization in the US and instrumental in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.
- suffragist: A person who campaigned to win women the right to vote.
Discussion Questions
- How does Alice Paul feel about the participation of Black women in the suffrage parade? What does she decide to do?
- What does Nellie Quander’s letter reveal about the impact Alice Paul’s decision had on Black women marchers?
- The two photos show Black women who were able to participate in the parade. Why do you think these women succeeded when Nellie Quander failed?
- What does this episode reveal about the role of race in the women’s suffrage movement?
Suggested Activities
- For a more comprehensive study of the role of race in the suffrage movement, consider this collection of resources along with these additional materials:
- Compare these letters with The Politics of Respectability. How does private correspondence differ from published content? What role might race have played in the differences between these materials?
Themes
POWER AND POLITICS; ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE; AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP
