The Black Goddess of Liberty
Nannie Helen Burroughs, Charlotte Hawkins Brown and Mary
McLeod Bethune were known as “The 3 B’s of Education”.
Burroughs was honored by AAA, joining Gamma Pi (opposite page) to create “A Fusion of 3 Forces” to support our Project Enrich
Program. However, her life’s work was much broader than education. She wrote and spoke about: “Class, Race, Gender and
Politics – On the Way to an Improved America”. Dr. Sharon Harley of the University of Maryland referred to her as above, and compared Burroughs to James Baldwin because of her militant defense of the Black race, particularly women, committed to
“telling the truth” about the “wrong doings” of Whites. She believed in capitalism and fought for Black women to be trained to support themselves, earning better wages. In articulating her militant positions, she predated some of the Black Power activists
Burroughs Publication‐Date Unkown of the 60’s and 70’s. Some of the tensions she addressed in the early twentieth century continue to haunt us today. “Today terrible conditions and serious race tensions and conflicts are tormenting the lives of the people in both races in every section of the country”. – Nannie Helen Burroughs ‐ (date unknown) While fighting discrimination and inequality, Burroughs was balanced, writing: “12 Things The Negro
Must Do For Himself” and “12 Things White Folks Must Stop Doing”. However, she concentrated on our people “taking the high road/doing the superior thing”. She believed that Blacks had the moral and spiritual character to uplift the race, thus uplifting America. The Negro must: 1. Learn To Put First