Basic Information
Fannie Barrier Williams born on February 12, 1855 and lived until her passing from a stroke on the 4th of March in 1944. Williams was an educated woman who used her education to aid in the first wave movement. She is widely known as the first African American member of the Chicago Woman’s Club (Pruden, 2017, p. 174). Throughout her life she held many different roles including a teacher, writer and influential speaker. Williams was a mixed race educated activist, who fought for the rights of women and African Americans in the 19th and early 20th century.
Background Information
Fannie Barrier Williams grew up in the Northern United States in Brockport, New York (Hendricks, 2013, p. 9). She was the oldest of three siblings, with one younger sister and brother. William’s father was not only a barber and a coal merchant, but was an active leader and respected member of the community (Leeman, 1996, p. 425). Williams’s mother is recorded to have taught bible class as her main occupation (Pruden, 2017, p. 173). Although Williams and her family were a minority in their town, her childhood in the North protected her from the horrible realities of racism and slavery that many others suffered from at the time. She even records that Whites and Blacks were not segregated in her village growing up (Hendricks, 2013, p. 10). Moving on to Williams’ teenage and young adult years, she not only graduated from the local public school but went on to higher education and became the first African American graduate of what is now called the State University of New York at Brockport (Mance, 2016, p. 410). After her completion at university, she moved further South in order to teach freed Black children (Mance, 2016, p. 410). This move South, especially to Missouri, began to introduce Williams to the horrors of racism and slavery (Hendricks, 2013, p. 29). After some time teaching children in the South she moved back up North in order to further her education in piano, but unfortunately the racism she was exposed to in the south also surfaced at her new school and she was forced to leave (Purden, 2017, p. 173). After this incident of injustice, Williams moved to Washington D.C where there was a larger population of African Americans to teach again (Leeman, 1996, p. 394). In her new location of Washington D.C, Williams met a law student, Samuel Laing Williams, who she soon married (Leeman, 1996, p. 394). After getting married Williams and her husband moved to Chicago where they began their life together. There, her husband started a law practice and Fannie became a prominent activist (Pruden, 2017, p. 173).
Contributions to the First Wave
Fannie Barrier Williams contributed to the first wave in a variety of ways. One way that Williams contributed to the movement was by being an active member of multiple societies and clubs. Williams helped to assist the formation of the National League of Colored Women and was also a founding member of the National Federation of Afro-American Women (Leeman, 1996, p. 410). The National Federation of Afro-American Women made it clear that they were not trying to overpower the National League of Colored Women, but sought to make a union with them (Hendricks, 2013, p. 108). Both of these clubs fought for racial freedom and gender equality simultaneously. When Williams gave speeches, she would often dive into this issue of intersectionality that Black women had to face (Leeman, 1996, p. 396). A noteworthy accomplishment that Williams is well known for is being the first Black woman to become a member of the Chicago Women’s Club (Mance, 2016, p. 410). This was not a small feat and it took over a year for Williams to finally be allowed as a formal member (Pruden, 2017, p. 174). Williams becoming a member of this elite club that was extremely exclusive was important in integrating her into a powerful group of people, which ultimately led her to the profession as a lecturer (Hendricks, 2013, p. 74).
Williams’ role as a lecturer was vital in spreading her messages to larger audiences. For instance, she was able to give two speeches at the World Columbian Exposition in Chicago and was able to organize an exhibit on African Americans (Pruden, 2017, p. 174). In her speeches given at this convention she covered two main topics. One of her speeches focused on the ability of Black women to be intellectual beings who should be taken seriously and given the opportunity for education (Mance, 2016, p. 411). Williams other speech was based upon religious ideology and chastised Christians for aiding and supporting slavery (Leeman,1996, p. 395). As a religious woman herself, Williams often included religion in her justifications for equality. Williams was a powerful and elegant speaker who was able to give persuasive messages that were often well received by the audiences (Leeman, 1996, pg. 395).
In addition to giving impactful speeches to spread her message, Williams worked to help strengthen her community. Williams and her husband worked together to aid in the establishment of the Provident Hospital located in Chicago (Prudent, 2017, p. 175). This hospital opened up opportunities and assistance for Black people in the Chicago area. In addition, Williams helped in the establishment of the Phillis Wheatley House, which gave shelter to African American women in need and helped to give them resources to find work (Prudent, 2017, p. 175). These, along with other similar establishments that Williams utilized her own resources to help make, created support for the African Americans living in Chicago at the time.
“The exceptional career of our women will yet stamp itself indelibly upon the thought of this country”~ Fannie Barrier Williams (Mance, 2016, p. 414).
Analysis and Conclusion
To conclude, Fannie Barrier Williams was a powerful and influential activist at the time of the first wave of feminism. Williams came from a healthy childhood, where even as a Black woman, she did not report experiences of racism until later in her life. Williams was able to gain an education and make a name for herself in an elite society. Williams was a ground breaking and progressive activist, who would not shy away from unpopular ideas such as the dual burden that African American women suffer from. While tackling these challenging topics she was still able to keep composure and relay her message in a way that people were willing to listen She utilized her education, status and life circumstances to spread important messages for freedom and equality, along with assisting her community by helping to provide them with the means to succeed.
References
Hendricks, W. A. (2013). Fannie Barrier Williams : Crossing the Borders of Region and Race. Retrieved from ProQuest Ebook Central https://ebookcentral.proquest.com
Leeman, R. W. (1996). African-American Orators: A Bio-Critical Sourcebook. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press. Retrieved from https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=mdp.49015002856707&view=1up&seq=425 &q1=Fannie%20Barrier%20Williams
Mance, A.M. (2016). Before Harlem: An Anthology of African American Literature from the Long Nineteenth Century. (1 ed.). Knoxville: The University of Tennessee Press. Retrieved from Project Muse, https://musejhuedu.offcampus.lib.washington.edu/ book/64944
Pruden, W. H., III. (2017). Williams, Fannie Barrier (1855–1944). In P. A. Lamphier & R. Welch (Eds.), Women in American History: A Social, Political, and Cultural Encyclopedia and Document Collection (Vol. 3, pp. 173-174). ABC-CLIO. https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX7268100602/GVRL?u=wash_main&sid=GVRL&xid=5d8e3d2e
Tralles, P., (ca. 1885) Bust Portrait of Educator and Activist, Fannie Barrier Williams(1855-1944). [Washington, D.C.: Paul Tralles, 309 Ninth Street] Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/2016645947/.