The Founding of the City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs & the Melrose Clubhouse By Tina Stewart Brakebill
Lauffer Branch YMCA, 1962. L-R: Monticello Campbell, Katie Lou Postell, Mary McLaughlin, Mattie Everett. Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of History
Dedicated in 1942, the Melrose Clubhouse for the City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs served as a center for civic and recreational gatherings during an era of strictly enforced segregation. Designated as a historic landmark in 1993, the clubhouse stands today as an important physical reminder of the vital role women’s organizations played in the story of St. Petersburg’s Black community.
Women and Clubs Initially focused on literary endeavors, self-improvement, or social opportunities, women’s organizations expanded quickly in the 19th century. By the early 20th century, many began to direct their attention to social-welfare issues and reforms such as women’s suffrage. Even though these clubs were almost always separated by race, they could provide all women avenues for political and civic influence in the days before they had any direct access to political power. The passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, seemed to render many white women’s reform-focused clubs less necessary, especially as the progressive era stalled during the booming 1920s. In communities where Jim Crow disenfranchisement still reigned, granting women the vote had little impact on the civil or political landscape; Black people were denied the vote. The local club movement continued to flourish, as women organized in an effort to offer opportunities for education, uplift, and recreation during the 1920s, ’30s, and ’40s.
City Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs Local club leaders considered uniting their strength under an umbrella organization. Led by local educator and activist Fannye Ponder and fellow educator Olive B. McLin, the City Federation
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GREENBENCHMONTHLY.COM / APRIL 2022
