In 1896, the National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs was created with the merger of several organizations, including the Colored Women’s League, to promote improvements in quality of life for African Americans and is comprised of female and youth members from 32 states (National Association of Colored Women’s Clubs, 2011). Some of the most prominent members of the organization during its inception included Harriet Tubman, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, and Mary Church Terrell, who was the first president of the organization (PBS.org, 2002).

The organization was an important step to promote the rights of African Americans and to recognize improved racial understanding and relations among different groups (NACWC, 2011). For African American women, this organization provided an opportunity to gain equality and to make a greater contribution to society in the late 19th Century and to combat the challenges that they faced due to race and their status as women (National Women’s History Museum, 2017). In this capacity, the organization evolved during a period when Black women were treated unequally and reforms were sought to improve the lives of these individuals so that they could overcome adversity and achieve new opportunities for freedom and growth throughout their lives (National Women’s History Museum, 2017).

During the late 1800s, Black women throughout the United States were treated severely unequally and sought to improve their standing in society and to reduce inequality (National Women’s History Museum, 2017). In this context, the organization was established with a framework of “Lifting as We Climb” to demonstrate its commitment to achieving excellence and strength among its members and to improve their standing in society during a difficult period in history (National Women’s History Museum, 2017). During this era, Black women were not given the opportunity and right to stand up for themselves and to take a stand against society; therefore, they faced important challenges and risks that were difficult to overcome and which impacted their growth and development (National Women’s History Museum, 2017). At this time, Black women did not yet have the right to vote and were prevented from exercising their rights in public settings; therefore, they did not have a voice and were prevented from taking action and taking a stand against oppression throughout society which impacted their lives (National Women’s History Museum, 2017).

During this period of history, African Americans suffered extensively in many areas, including but not limited to lack of freedoms and opportunities, poor health, impoverished conditions, prison conditions, and segregation, among others (PBS.org, 2002). Therefore, the organization sought to fight the status quo and to identify means of overcoming its current status by working collaboratively to develop solutions these problems. It was important for Black women living in the late 1800s to have a voice and to gain footing in a White, male-dominated society by taking matters into their own hands and developing a framework which was designed to facilitate effective results and to change the environment in which Black women lived. The primary areas of focus for the organization were to improve wage e quality, child care, and training to improve job acquisition and security (PBS.org, 2002).

In this context, the organization sought to create a framework that future generations could follow which would have a significant impact on quality of life for this population and create new opportunities for growth which would positively impact and ease the racial tensions and inequality that existed among these groups (PBS.org, 2002).

The National Association of Colored Women was an important and groundbreaking organization in many ways because it reflected the priorities of African American women in the late 1880s to improve their lives and to take the steps required to address inequality in many areas of society. The organization fully engaged some of the earliest Black female leaders, including Harriet Tubman and others, in a crusade against the status quo in favor of expanding equal rights for these women in a complex society. The organization was groundbreaking and demonstrated that Black women were not afraid of taking the steps necessary to improve their circumstances and to be mindful of new opportunities for growth that could favorably impact their lives. Black women had nothing to lose and so much to gain, and it was recognized that they had the enthusiasm, strength, and cohesion to make a significant difference in the lives of other women and children who suffered at the hands of Whites and many males throughout the society in which they lived. For African Americans in the late 19th Century, their circumstances might not have shifted towards positive outcomes if organizations such as the National Association of Colored Women had not emerged and created new alternatives to fight women’s suffrage and other challenges.

African American women have faced a difficult battle throughout their history, but the emergence of the National Association of Colored Women was a positive step towards understanding the rights of women and the impact that this group could have on society. During this era, Black women were stifled on many levels and had limited rights and roles; therefore, the organization sought to change the status quo and to enable this group to have opportunities to contribute equally and to make a difference within their own communities and beyond. The efforts of this organization made a significant difference in allowing Black women to have a voice and to make a greater contribution to society, along with expanding their rights and the lives of their children and families.