Ophelia Clenlans
Ophelia Clenlans | |
---|---|
![]() Ophelia Clenlans in 1901 | |
Born | c. 1841 Platte County, Missouri, U. S. |
Died | February 12, 1907 Omaha, Nebraska, United States | (aged 65–66)
Occupation | Journalist |
Spouse | Emanuel S. Clenlans |
Ophelia Clenlans (c. 1841 – February 12, 1907) was a civil rights activist and journalist from Omaha, Nebraska.
Biography
Clenlans was born a slave in about 1841 in Platte County, Missouri, and came to Omaha. Clenlans married Emanuel S. Clenlans and they had one daughter, Laura (married name of Craig).[1]
Clenlans was appointed a member of the executive board of the
She was an outspoken activist for racial equality. In 1901, she wrote in the
She also wrote in the World-Herald about interracial marriage: "As to love between the two colors, that is a matter open to discussion, yet to my mind, love is a God-given instinct, over which no man or woman has control.[...] Intermarriage with the whites is last in their thoughts, but intellectual equality they have a right to expect, and who has a right to deny them this boon?"[4]
Clenlans died on February 12, 1907, of cancer
References
- ^ a b c "Prominent Colored Lady Dies". Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Thursday, February 14, 1907. Vol. XLII, Issue 118, p. 5.
- ^ "Woman's Column". Enterprise (Omaha, Nebraska). Saturday, April 11, 1896, p. 3.
- ^ "Woman's Club Musicale". Enterprise (Omaha, Nebraska). Saturday, June 19, 1897, p. 3.
- ^ a b "Shall Colored Woman Enter White Woman's Club? Whether She Shall be in the Federation is the Issue Under Discussion". Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Sunday, February 3, 1901. Vol. XXXVI, Issue 125, p. 16.
- ^ "Births and Deaths". Omaha World-Herald (Omaha, Nebraska). Wednesday, February 13, 1907, p. 9.