Norma Elizabeth Boyd
Encyclopedia
Norma Elizabeth Boyd was one of sixteen founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha
, the first sorority founded by African-American women students, at Howard University. She was also one of the incorporators of the organization in 1913. The sorority has continued to generate social capital for nearly one-hundred years.
Boyd was an educator in Washington, D.C. public schools for more than thirty years, and expanded her students' worlds by taking them to Congressional hearings. She was one of the most politically active of the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha, with interests both domestic and international.
In 1938 Boyd established the Non-Partisan Council, the first group representing minorities to lobby the United States Congress
. For her efforts in creating and guiding the Non-Partisan Council, in 1948 Boyd was named "Woman of the Year in the Field of Legislation" by the National Council of Negro Women
.
Boyd was active in a wide variety of organizations, including many with an international focus. Named a United Nations
observer, Boyd represented the United States on several committees, as well as at a conference in Brazil
.
In September 1906, Boyd was admitted to Howard University
's College of Arts and Sciences, where she majored in math. Howard University was the top historically black college in the nation. It was a time when only 1/3 of 1% of African Americans and 5% of whites of eligible age attended any college. Boyd graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1910.
and public relations
at Columbia University
, New York University
, University of California at Berkeley, Vermont
's Middlebury College
Language School, National Autonomous University of Mexico
, American University
and George Washington University
.
For more than thirty years, Boyd was an educator in public schools in Washington, D.C. Boyd would bring student council officers to congressional hearings, to educate them about the political process. She retired from teaching in 1948.
Sorority in 1909. She served as Alpha chapter's president at two different times.
After some sisters left to start a sorority with a different focus, John Gries, Boyd, Nellie Quander, Julia Evangeline Brooks
, Minnie B. Smith
, Nellie Pratt Russell
, and Ethel Jones Mowbray
incorporated Alpha Kappa Alpha on January 29, 1913. The dissenters formed another sorority called Delta Sigma Theta
Sorority.
During World War II
, Boyd chaired two symposia at Howard University: "Labor and Women in the War Effort," a three-day event, and "Defense Planning for the Future," a five-day conference.
, education
, voting rights, and employment related to African-Americans. Later, the organization worked on civil, social, and political issues. The NPC reviewed all congressional bills
, providing comments to Congress when necessary. In addition, the Non-Partisan Council helped to expand the Public Works Program and establish a minimum wage for laundry workers, and supported continuation of the American Youth Act.
During World War II, the council lobbied for civil rights
legislation. The Non-Partisan Council also lobbied agencies such as the Department of State, the United Nations
, and national educational, scientific, and cultural organizations, to draw attention to the need for integration. Lasting ten years, the organization was dissolved on July 15, 1948, by Supreme Basileus Edna Over Gray-Campbell.
The Non-Partisan Council worked with the NAACP, The Urban League
, The United Office and Professional Workers of America, The National Association of Graduate Nurses, the American Federation of Churches, the Colored Women's Club, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Auxiliary, and the New York Voter's League. Established in 1946, the American Council of Human Rights superseded the Non-Partisan Council.
For her efforts in creating and guiding the Non-Partisan Council, in 1948 Boyd was named "Woman of the Year in the Field of Legislation" by the National Council of Negro Women
.
observer in 1949. She took part in several committees, such as the Advisory Committee to the American Delegate to the Inter-American Council of Women, the Pan-American Liaison Committee, and the East-West Association.
In 1949 Boyd traveled to South America
as an observer at the Inter-American Commission of Women in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the conference, she was a delegate representing the United Nation's Non-Government Organizations, the International House Association, the People's Mandate Committee, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. While in Brazil
, Boyd also founded a chapter of International House.
As an observer, Boyd was interested in children's rights and supported Principle 10 of the Declaration of Human Rights
.
To help educate her students, one year Boyd financed twenty-five of them for a trip to the United Nations' General Assembly in New York City
.
Boyd traveled widely in her life, to cities in United States
, Canada
, Mexico
, South America
, and the British West Indies
. She wrote an autobiography, A Love that Equals My Labor. Norma Elizabeth Boyd, the last surviving founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha, died in Washington, D.C. on January 4, 1985.
Boyd was also president of International House Association in Washington, D.C. From 1958–1959 she chaired the World Fellowship Inter-Faith Committee at All Saints Unitarian Church of Washington, D.C.
Alpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
, the first sorority founded by African-American women students, at Howard University. She was also one of the incorporators of the organization in 1913. The sorority has continued to generate social capital for nearly one-hundred years.
Boyd was an educator in Washington, D.C. public schools for more than thirty years, and expanded her students' worlds by taking them to Congressional hearings. She was one of the most politically active of the founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha, with interests both domestic and international.
In 1938 Boyd established the Non-Partisan Council, the first group representing minorities to lobby the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
. For her efforts in creating and guiding the Non-Partisan Council, in 1948 Boyd was named "Woman of the Year in the Field of Legislation" by the National Council of Negro Women
National Council of Negro Women
The National Council of Negro Women 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...
.
Boyd was active in a wide variety of organizations, including many with an international focus. Named a United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
observer, Boyd represented the United States on several committees, as well as at a conference in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
.
Early life, Howard University
Boyd was educated in public schools in Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
In September 1906, Boyd was admitted to Howard University
Howard University
Howard University is a federally chartered, non-profit, private, coeducational, nonsectarian, historically black university located in Washington, D.C., United States...
's College of Arts and Sciences, where she majored in math. Howard University was the top historically black college in the nation. It was a time when only 1/3 of 1% of African Americans and 5% of whites of eligible age attended any college. Boyd graduated with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1910.
Career and later life
A lifelong learner, over the years Boyd took graduate courses in educationEducation
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
and public relations
Public relations
Public relations is the actions of a corporation, store, government, individual, etc., in promoting goodwill between itself and the public, the community, employees, customers, etc....
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
, University of California at Berkeley, Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
's Middlebury College
Middlebury College
Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college located in Middlebury, Vermont, USA. Founded in 1800, it is one of the oldest liberal arts colleges in the United States. Drawing 2,400 undergraduates from all 50 United States and over 70 countries, Middlebury offers 44 majors in the arts,...
Language School, National Autonomous University of Mexico
National Autonomous University of Mexico
The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México is a university in Mexico. UNAM was founded on 22 September 1910 by Justo Sierra as a liberal alternative to the Roman Catholic-sponsored Royal and Pontifical University of Mexico The Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM) (National Autonomous...
, American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
and George Washington University
George Washington University
The George Washington University is a private, coeducational comprehensive university located in Washington, D.C. in the United States...
.
For more than thirty years, Boyd was an educator in public schools in Washington, D.C. Boyd would bring student council officers to congressional hearings, to educate them about the political process. She retired from teaching in 1948.
Incorporation of the sorority
At Howard University, Norma Elizabeth Boyd was one of seven sophomore initiates of Alpha Kappa AlphaAlpha Kappa Alpha
Alpha Kappa Alpha is the first Greek-lettered sorority established and incorporated by African American college women. The sorority was founded on January 15, 1908, at Howard University in Washington, D.C., by a group of nine students, led by Ethel Hedgeman Lyle...
Sorority in 1909. She served as Alpha chapter's president at two different times.
After some sisters left to start a sorority with a different focus, John Gries, Boyd, Nellie Quander, Julia Evangeline Brooks
Julia Evangeline Brooks
Julia Evangeline Brooks was an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African American women. The sorority has continued to generate social capital for nearly 100 years....
, Minnie B. Smith
Minnie B. Smith
Minnie B. Smith was an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, the first sorority founded by African American women. Although Smith died young in the influenza epidemic in 1919, the legacy she created with Alpha Kappa Alpha has continued to generate social capital for nearly 100 years.Minnie...
, Nellie Pratt Russell
Nellie Pratt Russell
Nellie Pratt Russell was an incorporator of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African-American college women...
, and Ethel Jones Mowbray
Ethel Jones Mowbray
Ethel Jones-Mowbray was one of the twenty founders of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the first sorority founded by African American women. Her legacy was an organization that has helped African American women succeed in college, prepare for leadership and organize in communities, and...
incorporated Alpha Kappa Alpha on January 29, 1913. The dissenters formed another sorority called Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
Sorority.
Involvement in the sorority
In 1913, Boyd was the corresponding secretary on the first Directorate of Alpha Kappa Alpha. She also was a regional director of the North Atlantic Region. Boyd chartered the Xi Omega chapter in Washington, D.C., where she served as president. In 1934, she raised funds for the first year of Alpha Kappa Alpha's Mississippi Health Project.During 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...
, Boyd chaired two symposia at Howard University: "Labor and Women in the War Effort," a three-day event, and "Defense Planning for the Future," a five-day conference.
Non-Partisan Council
In 1938, Boyd established the "Non-Partisan Lobby for Economic and Democratic Rights" (NPC), which lobbied Congress on issues of public servicePublic services
Public services is a term usually used to mean services provided by government to its citizens, either directly or by financing private provision of services. The term is associated with a social consensus that certain services should be available to all, regardless of income...
, education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
, voting rights, and employment related to African-Americans. Later, the organization worked on civil, social, and political issues. The NPC reviewed all congressional bills
Bill (proposed law)
A bill is a proposed law under consideration by a legislature. A bill does not become law until it is passed by the legislature and, in most cases, approved by the executive. Once a bill has been enacted into law, it is called an act or a statute....
, providing comments to Congress when necessary. In addition, the Non-Partisan Council helped to expand the Public Works Program and establish a minimum wage for laundry workers, and supported continuation of the American Youth Act.
During World War II, the council lobbied for civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
legislation. The Non-Partisan Council also lobbied agencies such as the Department of State, the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
, and national educational, scientific, and cultural organizations, to draw attention to the need for integration. Lasting ten years, the organization was dissolved on July 15, 1948, by Supreme Basileus Edna Over Gray-Campbell.
The Non-Partisan Council worked with the NAACP, The Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
, The United Office and Professional Workers of America, The National Association of Graduate Nurses, the American Federation of Churches, the Colored Women's Club, the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters and Auxiliary, and the New York Voter's League. Established in 1946, the American Council of Human Rights superseded the Non-Partisan Council.
For her efforts in creating and guiding the Non-Partisan Council, in 1948 Boyd was named "Woman of the Year in the Field of Legislation" by the National Council of Negro Women
National Council of Negro Women
The National Council of Negro Women 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...
.
United Nations Involvement
Norma Boyd was named as a United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
observer in 1949. She took part in several committees, such as the Advisory Committee to the American Delegate to the Inter-American Council of Women, the Pan-American Liaison Committee, and the East-West Association.
In 1949 Boyd traveled to South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
as an observer at the Inter-American Commission of Women in Buenos Aires, Argentina. At the conference, she was a delegate representing the United Nation's Non-Government Organizations, the International House Association, the People's Mandate Committee, and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom. While in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Boyd also founded a chapter of International House.
As an observer, Boyd was interested in children's rights and supported Principle 10 of the Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
.
To help educate her students, one year Boyd financed twenty-five of them for a trip to the United Nations' General Assembly in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Later life
In 1959, Boyd established the Women's International Religious Fellowship. The organization, which consisted of women from diverse backgrounds and cultures, helped to draw attention to children's safety and rights.Boyd traveled widely in her life, to cities in United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and the British West Indies
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
. She wrote an autobiography, A Love that Equals My Labor. Norma Elizabeth Boyd, the last surviving founder of Alpha Kappa Alpha, died in Washington, D.C. on January 4, 1985.
Membership in other organizations
Boyd was active in a wide variety of organizations:- Professional: National Council of Mathematics Teachers, American Federation of Teachers, and American Teacher's Association;
- International: International Committee of the Temple of Understanding, Women's International Religious Fellowship, Pan-American Liaison Committee, and Women's International League for Peace and Freedom; and
- Political: Non-Partisan Council, East-West Association, and People's Mandate Committee.
Boyd was also president of International House Association in Washington, D.C. From 1958–1959 she chaired the World Fellowship Inter-Faith Committee at All Saints Unitarian Church of Washington, D.C.
Unitarianism
Unitarianism is a Christian theological movement, named for its understanding of God as one person, in direct contrast to Trinitarianism which defines God as three persons coexisting consubstantially as one in being....