Mary Burnett Talbert - A Summary of Mary Talbert's Accomplishments

A Summary of Mary Talbert's Accomplishments

• Founded in 1901 the Christian Culture Congress, a literary society and forum, bringing nationally prominent Black leaders such as W. E. B. Du Bois and Mary Church Terrell to Buffalo to speak at the Michigan Avenue Baptist Church.
• Protested the exclusion of Blacks from the 1901 Pan-American Exposition Planning Commission, which resulted in the inclusion of a Negro Exhibit to feature cultural and economic achievements of African Americans. Also in 1901, lectured at the Biennial Conference of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs (NACWC) in Buffalo; instrumental in local arrangements
• Joined the Phyllis Wheatley Club, the first club in Buffalo to affiliate with the NACWC, eventually served as the club's president
• Co-organized the Niagara Movement, a precursor to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the beginning of 20th century American civil rights activism
• Co-founded Buffalo's first chapter of the NAACP in 1910, as well as NAACP chapters in Texas and Louisiana; elected Board member and vice president of the NAACP; served as National Director of the NAACP Anti-Lynching Campaign in 1921; eighth recipient and first woman to be awarded the highest honor by the NAACP, the Spingarn Medal.
• Served as a Red Cross nurse and YMCA secretary in Romagne, France during World War I; offered classes to African-American soldiers; sold thousands of dollars of Liberty Bonds as a traveling speaker served on the Women's Committee of National Defense.
• Appointed to the Women's Committee on International Relations, which was responsible for selecting female nominees for positions in the League of Nations
• Joined the Empire State Federation of Colored Women as a Charter Member, eventually serving as the Federation's Parliamentarian and President.
• Elected President (1916–1921) of the NACWC; represented the NACWC as the first African-American delegate to the International Council of Women (ICW) at their 5th congress in Norway in 1920
• Restored the Frederick Douglass home in Anacostia, D.C.; elected president-for-life of the Frederick Douglass Memorial and Historical Association
• Lectured in 11 European nations on the conditions of African-Americans in the United States, earning extensive press coverage.
• Cofounded the International Council of Women of the Darker Races in Washington, D.C., in 1922
• First Worthy Matron of Naomi Chapter No.10 Prince Hall Order Eastern Star, subordinate chapter of Eureka Grand Chapter Prince Hall Order Eastern Star Inc. State of NY