M. Cravath Simpson
M. Cravath Simpson | |
|---|---|
 Simpson in 1910 | |
| Born | Minnie Mahala Cravat (also shown as Cravath and Cravatt) December 6, 1860 |
| Died | May 19, 1945 (aged 84) Boston, Massachusetts |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Maud Cravath Simpson, Minnie Simpson, Cravath M. Simpson |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, public speaker, clubwoman, podiatrist |
| Years active | 1891–1940 |
M. Cravath Simpson (December 6, 1860 – May 19, 1945) was an
African-American
activist and public speaker. After beginning her career as a singer, she studied to become a podiatrist, but is most known for her work to uplift the black community and combat lynching. Though she was based in Boston, Simpson spoke throughout the Northeastern and Midwestern United States urging recognition of the human rights of black citizens.
Early life
Mary Mahala Cravat, known as Minnie, was born on December 6, 1860, in Cumberland, Providence County, Rhode Island, to Sarah B. (née Eldridge) and John A. Cravat.[1][2] She was the youngest of three siblings, which included a brother, Eldridge and sister Clara. Her father was a mulatto, who was born in Pennsylvania to a French father.[3] His profession was a barber, but he served in Company A, Regiment 11 of the Union Army's Colored Heavy Artillery Unit from August 10, 1863, to October 2, 1865.[4] After completing high school in Rhode Island,[5] Cravat married Charles Harry Simpson on October 30, 1882, in Providence[6] and moved to Boston. Continuing her studies she trained as a contralto for the next seven years.[5]
Career
Simpson made her debut as a singer in 1891 and before retiring from singing in 1895, performed at
chiropodist in 1911.[5] From 1903 to 1940,[7][8] she spoke throughout the Northeastern Seaboard and Midwest, giving talks on lynching and racial inequality.[9][10][11]
In addition to her business career, Simpson was an active clubwoman, involved in the founding of such organizations as the
Harriet Tubman House (1903).[5][12] The Era Club and its founder, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, urged the formation of the National Association of Colored Women, which Simpson joined at its formation in 1896.[13] That same year, when the Northeastern Federation of Women's Clubs (1896), was founded Simpson became a member and chaired the anti-lynching committee.[5] She would become chair of the Federation in 1918.[7]
When
Negro American Political League in 1908 and split from the NAACP over whether the association should be black-led or allow whites to head and participate in the organization, Simpson, along with Pauline Hopkins, Rev. Matthew A. N. Shaw, and Ida B. Wells, among others, supported and assisted in the endeavor.[14] She was president of the Anti-Lynching Society of Afro-American Women, which formed around 1911,[7][15] and led the creation effort of the Massachusetts State Union of Black Women's Clubs (1914), acting as its inaugural president from 1914 to 1916 and serving again from 1922 to 1924.[5][16] In her various roles, she worked to protect the human rights and insure respect, equality and justice for African Americans.[17][18]
Death and legacy
In February 1945, Simpson's apartment building caught fire and she was hospitalized for shock.Civil Rights Movement.[21]
References
Citations
- ^ Rhode Island Births 1860.
- ^ Rhode Island Marriages 1882, p. 579.
- ^ U. S. Census 1880, p. 8.
- ^ Military Service Records 1865, pp. 2, 16.
- ^ a b c d e f g Deutsch 2002, p. 112.
- ^ Rhode Island Marriages 1882, p. 578.
- ^ a b c Williams 2012, p. 246.
- ^ The Boston Globe 1940, p. 18.
- ^ Dodson 1907, p. 2.
- ^ The Bridgeport Telegram 1925, p. 5.
- ^ The Afro American 1933, p. 1.
- ^ The Times 1900, p. 9.
- ^ The Boston Globe 1939, p. 8.
- ^ Schneider 1997, pp. 115, 118.
- ^ The Indianapolis Recorder 1911, p. 1.
- ^ Leslie 2012, pp. 266–267.
- ^ The Indianapolis Recorder 1910, p. 1.
- ^ The Indianapolis Recorder 1912, p. 7.
- ^ The Boston Globe 1945a, p. 8.
- ^ The Boston Globe 1945b, p. 8.
- ^ The Boston Globe 1968, p. 361.
Bibliography
- Deutsch, Sarah (2002). Women and the City: Gender, Space, and Power in Boston, 1870–1940. New York, New York: ISBN 978-0-19-515864-9.
- Dodson, Nathaniel B. (December 12, 1907). "Business Women's Club". Newspapers.com.
- Leslie, LaVonne (2012). The History of the National Association of Colored Women'S Clubs, Inc.: A Legacy of Service. Bloomington, Indiana: ISBN 978-1-4797-2265-5.
- Schneider, Mark R. (1997). Boston confronts Jim Crow, 1890-1920. Boston, Massachusetts: ISBN 1-55553-296-9.
- Williams, Kidada E. (2012). They Left Great Marks on Me: African American Testimonies of Racial Violence from Emancipation to World War I. New York, New York: ISBN 978-0-8147-9537-8.
- "1880 U. S. Census, Providence, Rhode Island". FamilySearch. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Service. June 4, 1880. p. 8. NARA microfilm series T9, Roll 1213, lines 44–48. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- "Anti-Lynching Society Wields Wide Influence". Newspaperarchive.com.
- "'Back to Cradle' Meeting Held by Colored Women". Newspapers.com.
- "Compiled Military Service Records of Volunteer Union Soldiers Who Served with the United States Colored Troops, 1861 – 1866: John A. Cravat/Cravatt". Fold 3. Washington, D. C.: National Archives and Records Service. 1865. pp. 1–17. NARA microfilm series M1818, Roll 0193. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- "Groups Form State Peace Council at Meeting Here". Newspapers.com.
- "Harriet Beecher Stowe Centenary Celebration". Newspaperarchive.com.
- "Invalid, 84, Saved as Firemen Quell South End Blaze". Newspapers.com.
- "Liberals Here Saturday for Lynch Tribunal (pt 1)". Newspaperarchive.com.
- "Negro Convention Hears Discourse on Lynching". Newspaperarchive.com.
- "Rhode Island Births and Christenings, 1600–1914: Mary Mahala Cravat". FamilySearch. Salt Lake City, Utah: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. December 6, 1860. p. 278. FHL microfilm #1822414. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- "Rhode Island, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1630–1945 (Marriages): Charles Henry Simpson/Minnie Mahala Cravatt". FamilySearch. Providence, Rhode Island: Rhode Island State Archives. October 31, 1882. pp. 578–579. FHL microfilm #2027972. Retrieved February 24, 2019.
- "Simpson". Newspapers.com.
- "The Color Line in the Federation of Women's Clubs". Newspapers.com.
- "The Old Days". Newspapers.com.
- "Women Resent Vile Epithet". Newspaperarchive.com.
