National Council of Negro Women
Encyclopedia
The National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) is a non-profit organization with the mission to advance the opportunities and the quality of life for African American women, their families and communities. NCNW fulfills this mission through research, advocacy, national and community based services and programs in the United States
and Africa
. With its 38 national affiliate organizations and its more than 200 community based sections, NCNW has an outreach to nearly four million women, all contributing to the peaceful solutions to the problems of human welfare and rights. The national headquarters, which acts as a central source for program planning, is based in Washington, DC, on Pennsylvania Avenue, located between the White House and the U.S. Capitol. NCNW also has two field offices.
, child of slave
parents, distinguished educator, and government consultant. Mary McLeod Bethune saw the need for harnessing the power and extending the leadership of African American
women through a national organization.
Some of NCNW's recent international activities include:
Developing a small business incubator in Senegal
Serving as an umbrella organization for 39 national and local advocacy groups for women of African descent both in the U.S. and abroad, the National Council of Negro Women coordinates its activities with partners in 34 states. The Council also runs four research and policy centers in its efforts to develop best practices in addressing the health, educational, and economic needs of African-American women. Unfortunately, all of these centers take a lot of resources to run, and with administrative costs upwards of $4 million in 2007, there is comparatively little left over in the group’s approximately $6 million budget for programs.
National Black Family Reunion
NCNW organizes the National Black Family Reunion
, a two-day cultural event celebrating the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American fathers.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. With its 38 national affiliate organizations and its more than 200 community based sections, NCNW has an outreach to nearly four million women, all contributing to the peaceful solutions to the problems of human welfare and rights. The national headquarters, which acts as a central source for program planning, is based in Washington, DC, on Pennsylvania Avenue, located between the White House and the U.S. Capitol. NCNW also has two field offices.
History
The NCNW was founded in 1935 by Mary McLeod BethuneMary McLeod Bethune
Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was an American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for African American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University and for being an advisor to President Franklin D...
, child of slave
Slavery
Slavery is a system under which people are treated as property to be bought and sold, and are forced to work. Slaves can be held against their will from the time of their capture, purchase or birth, and deprived of the right to leave, to refuse to work, or to demand compensation...
parents, distinguished educator, and government consultant. Mary McLeod Bethune saw the need for harnessing the power and extending the leadership of African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
women through a national organization.
National and international programs
Some of NCNW's recent programs include:- The high-profile annual Black Family Reunion Program Celebration
- Public education and advocacy for African Americans regarding Supreme Court and lower court nominees
- Early childhood literacy programs designed to close the achievement gap
- A new initiative and publication entitled African American Women As We Age, which educates women on health and finances
- A national obesity abatement initiative
- A partnership with NASA to develop Community Learning Centers targeting traditionally underserved students
- Technical assistance to eight Youth Opportunity Centers in Washington, DC
Some of NCNW's recent international activities include:
- Maintaining consultative status at the United Nations to represent the voice of African American women
- Partnering with national women's organizations in Benin to deliver technology, literacy, microcredit and economic empowerment programs
- Linking youth in Uganda, north Africa and the U.S. in a three-nation educational exchange.
Developing a small business incubator in Senegal
- Partnering in the implementation of a large microcredit program in Eritrea extending small business loans and training to more than 500 women.
Serving as an umbrella organization for 39 national and local advocacy groups for women of African descent both in the U.S. and abroad, the National Council of Negro Women coordinates its activities with partners in 34 states. The Council also runs four research and policy centers in its efforts to develop best practices in addressing the health, educational, and economic needs of African-American women. Unfortunately, all of these centers take a lot of resources to run, and with administrative costs upwards of $4 million in 2007, there is comparatively little left over in the group’s approximately $6 million budget for programs.
National Black Family ReunionNational Black Family ReunionThe Black Family Reunion Celebration is a two-day cultural event celebrating the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American family...
NCNW organizes the National Black Family ReunionNational Black Family Reunion
The Black Family Reunion Celebration is a two-day cultural event celebrating the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American family...
, a two-day cultural event celebrating the enduring strengths and traditional values of the African American fathers.
Uncommon Height awards
- a/o 8/5/2011
- 2010 Rescheduled for 9/9/2011 in conjunction with the Family Reunion, from April, 2011.
- 2009 Oprah WinfreyOprah WinfreyOprah Winfrey is an American media proprietor, talk show host, actress, producer and philanthropist. Winfrey is best known for her self-titled, multi-award-winning talk show, which has become the highest-rated program of its kind in history and was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2011...
- 2008 Sidney PoitierSidney PoitierSir Sidney Poitier, KBE is a Bahamian American actor, film director, author, and diplomat.In 1963, Poitier became the first black person to win an Academy Award for Best Actor for his role in Lilies of the Field...
- 2007 Dorothy I. Height
- 2006 Johnnetta B. Cole
- Ann M. FudgeAnn M. FudgeAnn Marie Fudge is former chairman and CEO of Young & Rubicam Brands, a global network of marketing communications companies...
- Cathy HughesCathy HughesCathy Hughes, born Catherine Elizabeth Woods in Omaha, Nebraska on April 22, 1947, is an African-American entrepreneur, radio and television personality and business executive. Hughes founded the media company Radio One and later expanded into TV One, the company went public in 1998, making...
- 2005 Nancy Wilson
- 2004 Quincy JonesQuincy JonesQuincy Delightt Jones, Jr. is an American record producer and musician. A conductor, musical arranger, film composer, television producer, and trumpeter. His career spans five decades in the entertainment industry and a record 79 Grammy Award nominations, 27 Grammys, including a Grammy Legend...
- 2003 BillBill CosbyWilliam Henry "Bill" Cosby, Jr. is an American comedian, actor, author, television producer, educator, musician and activist. A veteran stand-up performer, he got his start at various clubs, then landed a starring role in the 1960s action show, I Spy. He later starred in his own series, the...
and Camille Cosby - 2002 Maya AngelouMaya AngelouMaya Angelou is an American author and poet who has been called "America's most visible black female autobiographer" by scholar Joanne M. Braxton. She is best known for her series of six autobiographical volumes, which focus on her childhood and early adult experiences. The first and most highly...
- 2000 Vernon Jordan
- 1999 Marian Wright EdelmanMarian Wright EdelmanMarian Wright Edelman is an American activist for the rights of children. She is president and founder of the Children's Defense Fund.-Early years:...
- 1998 Dorothy I. Height
Further reading
- Julie A. Gallagher. "The National Council of Negro Women, Human Rights, and the Cold War," in Laughlin, Kathleen A., and Jacqueline L. Castledine, eds., Breaking the Wave: Women, Their Organizations, and Feminism, 1945-1985 (Routledge, 2011) pp. 80-98
External links
- www.ncnw.org - Official Website
- www.ncnwcalifornia.org - Inland Empire Section - Website
- www.ncnwocca.org - Orange County Section (California) - Website