Danielle Phillips-Cunningham is striving to bring recognition to Nannie Helen Burroughs, a pivotal figure in the history of Black women’s rights. Although not as widely known as other civil rights icons like Rosa Parks or Fannie Lou Hamer, Burroughs’ contributions continue to have an impact more than a century later.
Born to former slaves, Burroughs founded her own school in Washington, D.C., in 1909. The National Training School for Women and Girls was established with the aim of creating new career opportunities for Black women who were often limited to sharecropping or domestic work due to racial and gender discrimination. Despite opposition from figures such as Booker T. Washington, Burroughs persevered.
The school attracted hundreds of Black women and girls during the Great Migration, many of whom went on to become professionals in various fields. Notably, it was the only institution outside the Deep South managed by Black women that required students to study Black history.
Burroughs also founded the National Association of Wage Earners (NAWE) to improve pay and working conditions for domestic workers. The organization provided employment assistance and training while advocating for better labor contracts through a strike clause.
Phillips-Cunningham explores these achievements in her new book “Nannie Helen Burroughs: A Tower of Strength in the Labor World,” published by Georgetown University Press. In an interview with Rutgers Today, she discussed how current threats to civil rights mirror past struggles faced by Burroughs.
“President Trump’s executive orders to end birthright citizenship and protections against employment discrimination are clear demonstrations of the administration’s plans to restore Jim Crow,” Phillips-Cunningham stated. She emphasized that Burroughs’ efforts laid crucial groundwork for significant legislation like the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Phillips-Cunningham’s research highlights how pioneering Black women leaders like Mary McLeod Bethune, Mary Church Terrell, Anna Julia Cooper, and now Nannie Helen Burroughs are gaining deserved recognition thanks to scholarly work over recent decades.
For more insights into Nannie Helen Burroughs’ legacy, listeners can tune into Danielle Phillips-Cunningham’s interview on the School of Management and Labor Relations’ podcast “A Third of Your Life.”
