nl_e17

"The National Colored Woman's Congress," Jan. 1896
Document 18: "The National Colored Woman's Congress," Woman's Era, 2
(January 1896), pp. 3-4.
Introduction
African-American women did not embrace the campaign to raise the age of
consent, because they feared that stricter criminal laws would lead to further
targeting of African-American men and do little to protect young black women in the
south from sexual exploitation by white men.[14] The following document, an
excerpt from a longer report on The National Colored Woman's Congress printed in
the Woman's Era, illustrates African-American women's support for social purity
issues in general. However, a resolution earlier in the report that had pledged
support for the work of the WCTU had also hinted at the reason underlying the
women's lack of support for the age-of-consent campaign. (For more on women's
activism to stop lynching, see "How Did Black and White Southern Women
Campaign to End Lynching, 1890-1942?" also on this website.)
Resolved, That as the National W.C.T.U. offers so many
opportunities through which the women of our race may be
enlightened and encouraged in their work for humanity, therefore be it
further resolved that we, as Afro-American women, accept these
opportunities by entering this open door, and heartily endorse the work
taken up by the W.C.T.U., but insist that their attitude in regard to the
lynching evil and color-prejudice question generally be less equivocal.
* * *
Mrs. Matthews offered an amendment, and the resolution was
adopted. The amendment was as follows:
Resolved, That this Congress recommend to the various
organizations here represented, local, state and national, the wisdom
of uniting for the establishment of one national organization of women.
WHEREAS, we as a race have never been taught to feel and
appreciate the value of good homes and
WHEREAS, to this day there are to be seen in many of our
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