Educator and activist Mary Church Terrell is born in Memphis, Tennessee.
At a Glance
- Date
- 23 September 1863
- Location
- Memphis, Tennessee
- Key people
- Mary Church Terrell
- Category
- Civil Rights Movement
- Source
- National Association of Colored Women records · Library of Congress
What It Meant Then
She became a founding president of the National Association of Colored Women and a lifelong suffragist.
What It Means Now
Terrell's late-life campaigns helped desegregate Washington, D.C., establishments.
Cite this page
- MLA
- “Mary Church Terrell Is Born.” Black-History.com, 30 Sept. 2026, https://black-history.com/on-this-day/mary-church-terrell-is-born/.
- APA
- Black-History.com Editors. (2026, September 30). Mary Church Terrell Is Born. Black-History.com. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/mary-church-terrell-is-born/
- Chicago
- Black-History.com Editors. “Mary Church Terrell Is Born.” Black-History.com. September 30, 2026. https://black-history.com/on-this-day/mary-church-terrell-is-born/.
Editorial Note
By the Black-History.com editors. Last reviewed 30 September 2026. To suggest a primary source or a correction, write to editors@black-history.com or use our corrections form.