Club Work
In 1896 seven representatives each from the Colored Women's League, which Terrell and fellow Oberlin alumna Anna Julia Cooper had chartered, and the Federation of Afro-American Women, formed by Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin of Boston, met with the purpose of joining forces. From that meeting, the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) emerged, and Mary Church Terrell was the first president, serving until 1901.
The Association adopted the motto "Lifting as We Climb" which was emblematic its members' belief that it was the responsibility of the educated to lift up others, women and especially children. Their work emphasized the importance of the home in advancing the race, as well as suffrage, temperance, and skills for employment.
Terrell, who had been named Honorary President for Life in 1901, was recognized by the Association for her contributions to the field of human rights at a special dinner in 1949.