Black Women in America – Part 33
There have been so many courageous female African Americans who sought for justice for their people. I feel privileged to share the stories of a few of them.
Last month – Black History Month – we honored four female African American activists. The brave actions of these women were responsible for changing laws and attitudes in America to make life better for black people. They included Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Rosa Parks, and Reverend Addie Wyatt.
Then in our last post we related the story of Mary Church Terrell and her struggle for justice in the nation’s capital, Washington D.C. The results of her actions had far-reaching consequences as the Supreme Court decided against racial injustice in District of Columbia v. John R. Thompson Co., Inc. Thanks to Mary Terrell and others things finally began to change.
Other black female activists that we must mention before we close this category of Black American Female Activists include:
This post:
Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett) (1744? – 1829) First to sue for her freedom
Mother (Charleszetta) Waddles – Detroit activist (1912-2001)
Next Time:
Dorothy Irene Height – Champion of equality and justice (1912 – 2010))
Jo Ann Robinson – Montgomery bus boycott (1912-1992)
Autherine Lucy – Univ. of Alabama student – 1st black to enroll (b. 1929)
Fannie Lou Hamer – Non-violent activism (1917-1977)
Elizabeth Freeman (Mum Bett) (1744? – 1829)
There have been so many courageous female African Americans who fought for justice for themselves and for all people and especially for justice for black people. This week we have an exciting story of a woman who fought for her own freedom: Elizabeth Freeman. But her actions also went on the make freedom possible for many others.
Elizabeth lived a long time ago and so we don’t have as many details of her life as we would like. We do know that she never learned to read or write, so it makes her decision to fight for her rights as a citizen so very remarkable. Her determination to take on the legal system helped to change the history of slavery in the United States.
Elizabeth was born around 1744 in the colony of New York. She was a slave and was owned by Peter Hogeboom, a descendant of Dutch settlers. It was his family that called Elizabeth “Bett”.
Because she was a slave, Elizabeth did not have control over where she lived. She and her sister were sent to live with her master’s daughter, Hannah some years later. Hannah lived in Sheffield about thirty-four miles away. They were domestic servants, charged with doing all of the cooking, cleaning, gardening, and looking after Hannah’s four children.
On June 15, 1780, Massachusetts passed its state constitution. The first article read, “All men are born free and equal.” Unlike the Declaration of Independence, which was a statement of principles, the Massachusetts constitution was a legal document meaning that freedom and equality were to be the law of the land. Elizabeth was wise enough to realize that this was her chance to try for freedom.
Elizabeth asked an attorney, Theodore Sedgwick to represent her. Theodore was a young lawyer, but he wanted a chance to challenge the legality of slavery under the new Massachusetts constitution. Because he was afraid the case might be dismissed because Elizabeth was a woman, Theodore included an enslaved man named Brom in the case.
The family that Brom and Elizabeth were enslaved with, the Ashley’s, argued that Elizabeth and Brom had to remain slaves because they were slaves long before the constitution was passed. But the court decided that the wording “All men are born free” meant exactly that and Elizabeth and Brom were free. The Ashley’s were fined a thirty-shilling fee to cover court costs and make up for their enslaving. Ashley tried to appeal but two other cases were decided in favor of the slaves, so he dropped his appeal. Slavery was now officially unconstitutional in Massachusetts.
Elizabeth changed her name to Elizabeth Freeman and also gave the new name to her daughter. Ashley offered to pay her to stay on, but Elizabeth went to work for the Sedgwick household.
Most of what we know of Elizabeth’s life comes from the writings of author Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Theodore’s daughter. In 1853, she published an article called, “Slavery in New England”. In this story of Elizabeth’s life, Catharine reveals the cruelty to Elizabeth as a slave and of her victory when Catharine’s father won the trial for her freedom. Catharine’s family called Elizabeth Mumbet, short for Mother Beth.
Elizabeth worked for the Sedgwick’s for many years as a housekeeper and caregiver for their children. Elizabeth even had an opportunity to protect the family’s silver from brigands during Shay’s Rebellion by hiding it in her own trunk. She shamed the bandits into leaving her trunk alone by taunting them for wanting to look at a Black woman’s clothes. This incident not only reveals how quick-witted Elizabeth was, but also that she was well aware that prejudice was still rampant in Massachusetts whether slavery was ended or not.
Eventually, Elizabeth saved up enough money to buy her own home where she lived for the rest of her life. She died on December 28, 1829, and the Sedgwick’s buried her in their own family plot with a marble tombstone.
Now every year Elizabeth Freeman Day is celebrated in Massachusetts on August 21, the date of her triumph over slavery. There is an exhibit at Ashley House in Sheffield, MA where you can learn more of the history of efforts made to end injustice to this day. There is a virtual exhibit there that is featured on YouTube called “The Legacy of Elizabeth Freeman: A Story of Justice and Freedom” found at:
You will see many other links to videos and information on Elizabeth. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.
Mother (Charleszetta) Waddles (1912-2001) Detroit activist
Mother Waddles was such an amazing person that I cannot wait to meet her in Heaven. She was a powerhouse of energy and love. For over forty years, Reverend Charleszetta Wattles devoted her life to caring for the poor and downtrodden in Detroit.
Charleszetta was 36 years old and the mother of 10 children when she began to wage war on poverty. Her actions began simply and increased immensely until she had established the Mother Waddles Perpetual Mission, Inc. as a non-profit, nondenominational organization run by volunteers mostly on private donations. She believed that the Church should be more than just a place to preach dogma; the Church must follow Jesus by meeting the needs of people.
“We’re trying to show what the church could mean to the world if it lived by what it preached,” Mother Waddles told Newsweek. “I read the Bible. It didn’t say just go to church. It said, ‘Do something.'” In addition to operating a 35-cent dining room on Detroit’s “skid row” that serves appetizing meals in cheerful, dignified surroundings, the mission offers health care, counseling, and job training to thousands of needy citizens. Still others benefit from an Emergency Services Program that provides food, clothing, shelter, and medicine. Well into her eighties, Waddles continued to work 12-hour days and to remain on call throughout the night. “We give a person the things he needs, when he needs them,” she told Lee Edson of Reader’s Digest. “We take care of him whether he’s an alcoholic or a junkie, black or white, employed or unemployed. We don’t turn anyone away. [1]
Charleszetta was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1912. She was the oldest of seven children. By helping her mother with her younger siblings, Charleszetta learned how to care for others. She also did chores for elderly neighbors. When she was 12, her father died, and she dropped out of school. At age 14 she married Clifford Walker, but he died five years later leaving her with one child. Two years later she married again and in the next 15 years had nine more children.
In 1936 this large family moved to Detroit, Michigan. Her husband found a low paying job in a restaurant. Charleszetta was discouraged over her husband’s lack of ambition, so she left him hoping for more money from government programs. When welfare and Aid to Dependent Children failed to provide enough for her family’s needs, this indomitable woman still tried to manage on her own. “I’ve put tubs in front of my house on weekends and sold barbecue,” she told Vern E. Smith of Newsweek. “I’ve picked up numbers in the neighborhood because that’s what I had to do if I wanted my kids to have the things they needed. It was an educational experience. You learn how to survive. I think that knowledge ought to be used to help somebody else get by.”
This was the situation Charleszetta was living in when she heard that a neighbor with two children was about to lose her home. Charleszetta took a pushcart and went up and down her neighborhood collecting food from businesses. She got enough to feed the poor woman’s family for eight weeks while the mother made payments on her house from donations. Charleszetta was stimulated by the joy of helping others. She studied the Bible and eventually became an ordained Pentecostal minister.
Charleszetta believed in the power of Christian charity. She had a vision to create a church that would truly follow Jesus by helping those in need. It would be her third husband, Payton Waddles, a Ford Motor Company employee who helped her to fulfill her vision. They opened the Helping Hand Restaurant, which was situated on Detroit’s skid row. They offered wholesome meals for 35 cents of free for those with empty pockets. Over the years donations trickled in as others heard about Charleszetta’s work and the meals began to be heartier and varied, but the price remained the same. Sadly, in 1984 the restaurant closed due to a fire.
In 1956 they established the Perpetual Mission. She later said of Payton that he was “the channel the Lord used to make me free to help others.” Among other things, through this mission Mother Waddles offered a free medical clinic, and counseling for jobs. As mentioned in the article above, even in her eighties, Mother Waddles continued to work12-hour days at the Emergency shelter, providing food, clothing and medicine. She often remained on call all night. This courageous, undaunted child of God passed away in 2001.
Charleszetta Waddles has been featured on, or recognized by the following publications/organizations:
Good Morning America
Today Show
ABC News
People Magazine
Detroit Free Press
Detroit News
Readers Digest
Newsweek
Life Magazine
Essence Magazine
Michigan Chronicle
Ebony
Jet
State of Michigan
Sojourner Truth Award
Religious Heritage Award
Humanitarian Award
[1] From: Charleszetta “Mother” Waddles (1912-2001)
https://biography.jrank.org/pages/2490/Waddles-Charleszetta-Mother.html
