CARLI Digitized Book of the Month – February 2017

The story of the Illinois Federation of Colored Women's Clubs 1900-1922

African-American women in Illinois have always been active in community and civic organizing. Already by the early 20th century there was a fear that the amount of work accomplished by the early pioneers (many children of the pioneer settlers of Illinois) would be forgotten. Thus this book was produced to highlight the different clubs that made up the federation, as well as individuals who had been instrumental in their founding. Reading through this book shows how much foresight these women had for the opportunities and challenges the rest of the 20th century, and indeed the 21st century, would hold for their communities. As we commerorate Black History Month in February, we should look to these women for their wisdom and experience from a century ago and appreciate all they did.

Written by Margaret Heller, Digital Services Librarian, Loyola University Chicago

This volume was contributed by the University of Illinois at Chicago. You can find this volume and others from CARLI participant libraries in the Internet Archive.