Crispus Attucks Club
Crispus Attucks Association | |
| Named after | Crispus Attucks (c. 1723–1770) |
|---|---|
| Formation | April 1890 |
| Founded at | Boston, Massachusetts, United States |
The Crispus Attucks Club, also known as the Crispus Attucks Association, is an African American community organization, civic organization and social club founded in 1890 in Boston, and has chapters in various cities across the United States. The group was named for Crispus Attucks, who was the first person killed at the Boston Massacre.
History
In April 1890, the club was founded in Boston, Massachusetts,[1] by local lawyers Edward Everett Brown, Edwin Garrison Walker, and James H. Wolff.[2] The group adopted a constitution, and was presided over by Edward Everett Brown.[3][4] It was named for Crispus Attucks, who was the first person killed at the Boston Massacre that preceded the American Revolutionary War.[5][6] The group held commemorations of Attucks on March 5th; and also on Patriots' Day.[7][8] The annual dinner in 1894 was held at the Quincy House in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The club activities included group discussions of African American–related concerns, local politics, social and sporting events, cultural and literary discussions, and fundraisers.[9][10][11][12][13]
In the late 19th-century, the Crispus Attucks Club was one of the largest African American social clubs in the state of Massachusetts, and the Lebanon Daily News newspaper described it as a "leading colored organization of the state."[14][15] Additionally chapters were established in Joliet, Illinois;[15][11] New York City;[16] Greenwich, Connecticut;[5] York, Pennsylvania;[17] Jacksonville, Florida;[18][12] Chicago;[19] and San Francisco (later known as the Bayview Neighborhood Community Center).[20] The Chicago chapter had hundreds of members that worked for the United States Post Office,[21][22][23][24] which eventually unionized.[25]
A book titled, 85 Years of Community Building (2017) was published and includes descriptions of the leadership and community building efforts of members.[26]
Chapters
- Boston, Massachusetts, founded 1890 as the first club[1]
- New York City, founded 1931[16]
- York, Pennsylvania, founded 1931[16][17][9]
- Greenwich, Connecticut, founded 1941[5]
- Chicago, founded 1942[21][19][22]
- San Francisco, founded 1944, and later known as the Bayview Neighborhood Community Center[20][27]
- Joliet, Illinois[15][11]
- Jacksonville, Florida[18][12]
- Harrisburg, Pennsylvania[16]
- Mansfield, Ohio[7][10]
- Washington, D.C.[28]
Notable members
- Edward Everett Brown, lawyer, civil rights activist, president of the Boston chapter[4]
- Lafayette M. Hershaw, civil rights activist, member of the Washington, D.C. chapter[28]
- Edward G. Walker, politician, founder of the Boston chapter[2]
- James H. Wolff, lawyer, founder of the Boston chapter[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b "Gleaned Here and There". The Sunday Leader. March 30, 1890. p. 13. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Roots of Activism Run Deep for The Brown Family". Granite State News Collaborative. March 27, 2023. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Edward Everett Brown 1899". The Colored American. November 25, 1899. p. 1. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Boston and Vicinity Volume 53, Number 13". Newspapers.BC.edu. Pilot (newspaper). March 29, 1890 – via Boston College Newspapers.
The Crispus Attucks Club of Boston met on the evening of March 19. Edward Everett Brown presided. A constitution was adopted and fifteen members were Initiated.
- ^ a b c "Crispus Attucks: A Legacy of Radical Black Dignity". Greenwich Historical Society. March 3, 2022. Retrieved January 10, 2025.
- ^ "Crispus Attucks Club". The Boston Globe. March 6, 1904. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "15 Years Old". News Journal. April 12, 1937. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Broadening Its Features". The Boston Globe. April 14, 1903. p. 3. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Hanover Juniors To Play Yankees". The Evening Sun. July 16, 1947. p. 13. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Crispus Attucks Club Plans Meeting Tonight". News Journal. October 16, 1931. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Crispus Attuck Club to Give Entertainment". Herald News. September 24, 1914. p. 9. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c "Crispus Attuck Literary and Social Club". Jacksonville Journal. July 4, 1913. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Crispus Attucks Club". Jacksonville Journal. July 19, 1906. p. 11. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Anniversary of the Boston Massacre". Lebanon Daily News. March 6, 1894. p. 2. Retrieved January 11, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b c Kachun, Mitch (September 21, 2017). "Crispus Attucks Meets Jim Crow: The Segregation of American Memory, 1870s–1910s". First Martyr of Liberty: Crispus Attucks in American Memory. Vol. 1. Oxford University Press. pp. 86–87. doi:10.1093/oso/9780199731619.003.0005. ISBN 978-0-19-973161-9 – via Silverchair.
- ^ a b c d "African-American Women's Organizations in Harrisburg". March 18, 2021.
- ^ a b Dai, Sarai. "Crispus Attucks History and Culture Center will honor York's African-American history". York Daily Record. Retrieved 2025-12-28.
- ^ a b "Crispus Attucks Club Condemns Gov. Scheme". The Florida Times-Union. April 5, 1907. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "Crispus Attucks Club To Hear Col. Simmons". The Chicago Defender. 1945-07-28. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "A Day's Work: Hunters Point Shipyard Workers, 1940–1945". FoundSF. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ a b "Colored Letter Carriers Adopt Constitution". The Chicago Defender. March 14, 1942. p. 4. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspaper.com.
- ^ a b "Crispus Attucks Club Elects New President". The Chicago Defender. March 17, 1945. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Crispus Attucks Club Plans Party". The Chicago Defender. April 25, 1942. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Woodlawn News". The Chicago Defender. November 7, 1942. p. 26. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Attucks Club Is Assured of Union Office". The Chicago Defender. October 31, 1942. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ McClure, James (February 15, 2017). "York's Crispus Attucks in the 'character building' business". York Daily Record. Retrieved January 11, 2025.
- ^ "Hunters Point – The Power of Violence". San Francisco Chronicle. February 16, 1972. p. 6. Retrieved 2025-12-29 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b "The Week in Society". Washington Bee (Washington, D.C.). January 30, 1909. Volume XXIX, Issue 36, p. 5.
Further reading
- "New Bedford formation of Crispus Attucks club" (November 15, 1887), Weekly New Era Norton, Kansas, page 2.