National Council of Negro Women.

During the 1930’s, African American women built upon a strong legacy of activism against racism and segregation. To expand their influence during the 1890’s, black women had formed the National Federation of Afro-American Women and the National League of Colored Women. These groups combined in 1896 as the National Association for Colored Women (NACW), which had more than 100,000 members by the mid-1920’s. The Depression weakened the NACW financially, reducing the organization’s effectiveness. To build more powerful leadership for black women, Mary McLeod Bethune, who was the NACW president from 1924 to 1928, began in 1930 to consult with directors of more than two dozen organizations for black women (including the NACW) and promote a forum for their work. The result was the establishment of the National Council for Negro Women with Bethune as its first president and Washington, D.C., as its home.