Lugenia Burns Hope
Encyclopedia
Lugenia Burns Hope, née Burns (February 19, 1871, St. Louis, Missouri
– August 14, 1947, Nashville, Tennessee
) was a social reformer whose Neighborhood Union and other community service organizations improved the quality of life for blacks in Atlanta, Georgia
, and served as a model for the future Civil Rights Movement
.
Throughout her youth, Lugenia Hope worked for various charitable organizations, inspiring a life-long interest in social outreach work. Between 1890 and 1893 she studied at the Chicago Art Institute, the Chicago School of Design (now also part of the Art Institute of Chicago
), and the Chicago Business College. Lugenia Hope married John Hope
in 1897 and moved with him to Atlanta when he joined the faculty of the Atlanta Baptist College (now Morehouse College
); he was later appointed the institution's president in 1906. With the help of Morehouse students, she surveyed local area residents about their needs for community development projects, which eventually led to the college providing day care, kindergarten, and recreational programs. Her community involvement led her in 1908 to create the Neighborhood Union, the first woman-run social welfare agency for African-Americans in Atlanta, which provided medical, recreational, employment, and educational services and became known for its community building and race and gender activism. Hope served as head of its Board of Managers until 1935.
Because only white soldiers were served by the United Service Organization's entertainment programs in World War II
, the Neighborhood Union ran YWCA
War Work Councils to provide similar services to the Black community. Their success led to Lugenia Hope coordinating a US-wide network of Hostess Houses that provided services ranging from recreational programs to relocation counseling to black and Jewish soldiers and their families.
A founding member of the Atlanta branch of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, Hope became involved in reform activities nation-wide, such as her 1920 effort to end segregation and white-domination within the national YWCA. Her statement to white women who opposed full equality in the YWCA for African American women was "Ignorance is ignorance wherever found, yet the most ignorant white woman may enjoy every privilege that America offers. Now . . .the ignorant Negro woman should also enjoy them."
An innovative thinker on racial politics, Hope criticized the common belief that black Americans needed to prove their worthiness as citizens, and as vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
of Atlanta organized six-week courses on voting, democracy, and the U.S. Constitution. This work was later copied across the country, and these classes became part of the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement.
Lugenia Hope became ill in 1936, the year her husband died, and spent the rest of her life in New York City, Chicago, and Nashville.
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
– August 14, 1947, Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
) was a social reformer whose Neighborhood Union and other community service organizations improved the quality of life for blacks in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
, and served as a model for the future Civil Rights Movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
.
Throughout her youth, Lugenia Hope worked for various charitable organizations, inspiring a life-long interest in social outreach work. Between 1890 and 1893 she studied at the Chicago Art Institute, the Chicago School of Design (now also part of the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
), and the Chicago Business College. Lugenia Hope married John Hope
John Hope (educator)
John Hope , born in Augusta, Georgia, was an African-American educator and political activist. He was the son of James Hope, a white Scottish merchant, born in Langholm, Scotland in 1805. Arriving in New York City in 1817, he was a successful grocer in Manhattan before moving south to Augusta in...
in 1897 and moved with him to Atlanta when he joined the faculty of the Atlanta Baptist College (now Morehouse College
Morehouse College
Morehouse College is a private, all-male, liberal arts, historically black college located in Atlanta, Georgia. Along with Hampden-Sydney College and Wabash College, Morehouse is one of three remaining traditional men's colleges in the United States....
); he was later appointed the institution's president in 1906. With the help of Morehouse students, she surveyed local area residents about their needs for community development projects, which eventually led to the college providing day care, kindergarten, and recreational programs. Her community involvement led her in 1908 to create the Neighborhood Union, the first woman-run social welfare agency for African-Americans in Atlanta, which provided medical, recreational, employment, and educational services and became known for its community building and race and gender activism. Hope served as head of its Board of Managers until 1935.
Because only white soldiers were served by the United Service Organization's entertainment programs in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Neighborhood Union ran YWCA
Young Women's Christian Association
Young Women's Christian Association or YWCA or YWCA Building or Old YWCA Building or variations may refer to:*World YWCA, the organization formerly known as Young Women's Christian Associationor it may refer to:...
War Work Councils to provide similar services to the Black community. Their success led to Lugenia Hope coordinating a US-wide network of Hostess Houses that provided services ranging from recreational programs to relocation counseling to black and Jewish soldiers and their families.
A founding member of the Atlanta branch of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs, Hope became involved in reform activities nation-wide, such as her 1920 effort to end segregation and white-domination within the national YWCA. Her statement to white women who opposed full equality in the YWCA for African American women was "Ignorance is ignorance wherever found, yet the most ignorant white woman may enjoy every privilege that America offers. Now . . .the ignorant Negro woman should also enjoy them."
An innovative thinker on racial politics, Hope criticized the common belief that black Americans needed to prove their worthiness as citizens, and as vice president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
of Atlanta organized six-week courses on voting, democracy, and the U.S. Constitution. This work was later copied across the country, and these classes became part of the early stages of the Civil Rights Movement.
Lugenia Hope became ill in 1936, the year her husband died, and spent the rest of her life in New York City, Chicago, and Nashville.
See also
- Jacqueline Anne RouseJacqueline Anne RouseJacqueline Anne Rouse is an American academic specializing in African-American history and American Studies. She is a professor at Georgia State University and the author of a book on Lugenia Burns Hope, Lugenia Burns Hope, Black Southern Reformer, published by the University of Georgia Press; it...
. Lugenia Burns Hope: Black Southern Reformer, University of Georgia Press, 1992, ISBN 0820323861