Formation | November 9, 1946 |
---|---|
Founders |
|
Founded at | Philadelphia |
Type | Social and service organization |
Headquarters | Washington, D.C. |
Membership (2022) | 16,000 |
Website | linksinc |
The Links is an American, invitation-only, social and service organization of prominent Black women in the United States. Founded in 1946, it is the largest nationwide organization of Black women in the USA. Members include Kamala Harris, Marian Wright Edelman, and the late Betty Shabazz.
As of 2021, there were 16,000 members in nearly 300 chapters. The organization was founded in Philadelphia, but since 2022, it is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The Links, Incorporated, a nonprofit corporation, [1] was founded in 1946 in Philadelphia by seven prominent Black women. [2] : 102 [3] Sarah Strickland Scott and Margaret Roselle Hawkins [3] [4] recruited Frances Atkinson, Katie Green, Marion Minton, Lillian Stanford, Myrtle Manigault Stratton, Lillian Wall, and Dorothy Wright. All of the women were members of prominent Black professional families of Philadelphia; six were the wives of physicians and the seventh the wife of a bank president. [2] : 103 All had bachelor's or master's degrees from elite universities, and had been active in other elite Black social organizations. These organisations included Jack and Jill and Alpha Kappa Alpha as well as other prominent organizations like the NAACP, [3] the League of Women Voters, and the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company. [2] : 104 Most were members of St. Thomas Episcopal Church. [2] : 104 The group's name was suggested by Wall as a symbol of enduring friendship. [5]
Other cities soon created chapters. By 1949, there were ten chapters. By 1952, there were 56 chapters. [3] [2] : 105 In 2008, there were approximately 12,000 members in 273 chapters, in 42 states [6] [2] Greater Detroit had four chapters in 2021. [7]
Over the decades, the group transformed itself from "a group of women married to influential men, to a group of women who became influential themselves", according to one member. The evolution caused "clear conflict between the old guard and the new guard", according to another. [2] : 108
As of 2021, there were 16,000 members in 292 chapters. [7] In, 1999 each chapter membership was limited to no more than 55 women. [2] : 102 The headquarters has been located in Washington, D.C., since at least 1985. [8] [5]
As of 2024, the organization has had eighteen national presidents. [9]
Women interested in joining any of the local chapters must be nominated by a current member; [2] : 109 if a chapter has 55 members, no more may be accepted until one leaves. [2] : 102 Admission is "extremely competitive", according to Lawrence Otis Graham, author of Our Kind of People (1999). [2] : 109 One member of a Washington, D.C. chapter describes having spent "twelve years of strategizing, party-giving, and brownnosing to get into this group." [2] : 103 Most women do not get into Links until they are in their 40s or older, and most remain members until they die. [2] : 109
Links has been criticized for its exclusivity; one member noted that while a woman could be nominated by any other member, for practical intents those admitted are "usually those who know at least half of the chapter's membership". [2] : 109 Social, professional, or economic prominence within a city's Black community also may help get a candidate admitted, as members with such backgrounds help add to the chapter's prestige. [2] : 109
The organization requires each member to accumulate many volunteer hours. [2] : 103 The organization raises funds for a variety of charities and causes such as the United Negro College Fund and the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. [2] : 102 The national core focuses include education, health, youth services, the arts, domestic legislation, and international welfare. [2] : 107 [3]
Chapters typically also hold multiple social events for a city's Black elites, such as debutante cotillions, fashion shows, gala fundraisers, balls, luncheons, and formal parties. [2] : 103, 107
According to Graham, The Links is the "most elite organization" for prominent American Black women, [2] : 102 and is both the largest and the most influential. [2] : 102 Membership in the organization, he writes, signals to other prominent Blacks that "your social background, lifestyle, physical appearance, and family's academic and professional accomplishments passed muster". [2] : 102
Los Angeles PBS station KCET called The Links "the most prominent" of the Black women's clubs. [10] Rolling Stone called it "one of the most influential and prestigious". [11]
John Lewis called The Links a “distinguished organization of outstanding community service and influence”. [7]
Members include philanthropists, college presidents, politicians, activists, judges, doctors, bankers, lawyers, executives, educators, and the wives of well-known public figures. [12] [2] : 105 Notable members include:
The National Society Daughters of the American Revolution is a lineage-based membership service organization for women who are directly descended from a person involved in supporting the American Revolution. A non-profit group, the organization promotes education and patriotism. Its membership is limited to direct lineal descendants of soldiers or others of the American Revolution era who aided the revolution and its subsequent war. Applicants must be at least 18 years of age and have a birth certificate indicating that their gender is female. DAR has over 190,000 current members in the United States and other countries. The organization's motto is "God, Home, and Country".
Marian Wright Edelman is an American activist for civil rights and children's rights. She is the founder and president emerita of the Children's Defense Fund. She influenced leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr.
Patricia Roberts Harris was an American politician, diplomat, and legal scholar. She served as the 6th United States secretary of housing and urban development from 1977 to 1979 and as the 13th United States secretary of health and human services from 1979 to 1981 under President Jimmy Carter. She previously served as the United States ambassador to Luxembourg from 1965 to 1967 under President Lyndon B. Johnson. Throughout her public career, Harris was a trailblazer for women and people of color to hold a number of positions, including the first African American woman and woman of color ever to serve in a presidential cabinet and the first woman and person of color appointed to two different presidential cabinet positions. She was the first African American HHS secretary and just the second black HUD secretary, as well as the second woman to lead either of those executive departments. Furthermore, she was the first black woman U.S. ambassador, the dean of a U.S. law school, and a member of a Fortune 500 company's board of directors. A member of the Democratic Party, she ran for mayor of the District of Columbia in the 1982 mayoral election but was defeated during the primaries, ultimately finishing second to incumbent mayor Marion Barry.
Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (ΔΣΘ) is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two women at Howard University in Washington, D.C. Membership is open to any woman, regardless of religion, race, or nationality. Women may apply to join through undergraduate chapters at a college or university or through an alumnae chapter after earning a college degree.
Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. (ΑΚΑ) is the first intercollegiate historically African American sorority. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at the historically black Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of sixteen students led by Ethel Hedgemon Lyle. Forming a sorority broke barriers for African American women in areas where they had little power or authority due to a lack of opportunities for minorities and women in the early 20th century. Alpha Kappa Alpha was incorporated on January 29, 1913.
Kamala Devi Harris is an American politician and attorney who is the 49th and current vice president of the United States since 2021, under President Joe Biden. She is the first female vice president and the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, as well as the first African-American and first Asian-American vice president. A member of the Democratic Party, she served as a U.S. senator from California from 2017 to 2021 and the attorney general of California from 2011 to 2017. Harris is the presumptive nominee of the Democratic Party in the 2024 presidential election.
Ethel Hedgeman Lyle was a founder of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority (ΑΚΑ) at Howard University in 1908. It was the first sorority founded by African-American college women. Lyle is often referred to as the "Guiding Light" for the organization.
The term 'Black elite' refers to elites within black communities in Western countries, that are either political, economic, intellectual or cultural in nature. These are typically distinct from other national elites, such as the United Kingdom's aristocracy and the United States' upper class.
The African-American upper class, sometimes referred to as the black upper class, the black upper middle class or black elite, is a social class that consists of African-American individuals who have high disposable incomes and high net worth. The group includes highly paid white-collar professionals such as academics, engineers, lawyers, accountants, doctors, politicians, business executives, venture capitalists, CEOs, celebrities, entertainers, entrepreneurs and heirs.
Marian Benton Tasco is an American politician who served on the Philadelphia City Council. A member of the Democratic Party, Tasco represented Philadelphia's ninth district for twenty-eight years.
Black women have been involved in American socio-political issues and advocating for the community since the American Civil War era through organizations, clubs, community-based social services, and advocacy. Black women are currently underrepresented in the United States in both elected offices and in policy made by elected officials. Although data shows that women do not run for office in large numbers when compared to men, Black women have been involved in issues concerning identity, human rights, child welfare, and misogynoir within the political dialogue for decades. Women in government are preferred by ethnic minorities over their White colleagues. Researchers studying black politics have discovered that White voters have prejudices towards Black candidates. Descriptive representation is important for Black voters. Black women's positional behavior and ideology are influenced by a distinctive Black female consciousness. Support for Black women candidates among Black women may result from a prioritization of racial concerns above gendered interests.
Jordan A. Harris is an American politician who has served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2013, representing the 186th district in South and Southwest Philadelphia. A member of the Democratic Party, he currently serves as chairman of the House Appropriations Committee.
The National Women's History Museum (NWHM) is a museum and an American history organization that "researches, collects and exhibits the contributions of women to the social, cultural, economic and political life of our nation in a context of world history." The NWHM was founded in 1996 by Karen Staser. It currently offers an online museum, educational programs, scholarship and research.
The United Order of Tents is an organization for African-American churchwomen founded in Norfolk, Virginia, in 1867 by Annetta M. Lane and Harriet R. Taylor. There are chapters across the United States. It is a secret society, with parts of membership and organizing only shared with members. It is the oldest benefit society for black women in the United States. At its height, national membership reached approximately 50,000 women.
Wendy Onyinye Osefo is a Nigerian-American political commentator, public affairs academic, and television personality. She is an assistant professor at Johns Hopkins School of Education, and a main cast member of The Real Housewives of Potomac. Wendy practices in the field of journalism and has received rewards recognizing her contributions to the field of journalism.
MeenakshiAshley Harris is an American lawyer, author and theater producer. She founded the Phenomenal Woman Action Campaign in 2017, which creates statement fashion to support charity. Harris's first children's picture book Kamala and Maya's Big Idea was released by HarperCollins' imprint Balzer + Bray in 2020, and is based on the story of her mother, Maya Harris, and aunt, Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president of the United States.
The Afro-American Association (AAA) was an influential organization founded in 1962 that started as a study group teaching African and African American history, later hosting speakers, meetings, forums, and other activities. Historian Donna Murch has described it as “the most foundational institution in the Black Power movement.”
Susie Ione Brown Waxwood was an American philanthropist and clubwoman, based in Princeton, New Jersey.
Pauline Weeden Maloney, born Margaret Pauline Fletcher, was an American educator based in Lynchburg, Virginia. She was the third national president of The Links, and rector of Norfolk State University.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: others (link)